Fresno State awarded $2.9 million over five years to support future health professionals

The California Department of Health Care Access and Information announced $40.8 million in grant awards to 20 organizations to support and help students from underrepresented regions and backgrounds pursue health care careers, including Fresno State.

Fresno State will receive a $2.9 million award over five years through the Health Career Pathways Program. Other California state universities awarded include California State University, Dominguez Hills ($3.3 million), San Diego State University ($2.5 million) and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt Foundation-sponsored programs ($498,000).

“The Health Career Pathways Program strengthens existing relationships and supports building new partnerships,” said Lilia DeLaCerda, the project’s principal investigator and director of the Health Careers Opportunity Program at Fresno State.

Because health professionals are more likely to practice where they graduated or grew up, facilitating Fresno State graduates to successfully enter health professional programs is “the best strategy we have to address the health care shortage in the Central Valley,” she said.

The Health Career Pathways program is one of a larger $1.4 billion “Workforce for a Healthy California for All” initiative aimed at addressing workforce shortages in health and human services.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Member of Parliament Dr. Joaquin Arambula wrote, “These efforts are helping to develop the necessary health care workforce in our state and also in the Central Valley.

Fresno State’s Health Career Pathways program sits alongside the Campus Health Careers Program and supports underrepresented and/or disadvantaged high school and college students from the San Joaquin Valley who want to serve their communities as primary care physicians. Dentists, pharmacists, physician assistants, optometrists, chiropractors, clinical laboratory scientists, clinical psychologists/behavioral health professionals, podiatrists and public health professionals.

“These residents are some of the most underserved and … some of the poorest and most economically disadvantaged in the state,” DeLaCerda said. “Our program focuses on engaging, recruiting and supporting underrepresented and disadvantaged students interested in pursuing careers in health care.”

The current recruitment and academic programs will be enhanced with peer mentoring, test preparation, internships, academic advising and health conferences. New internships and additional programs will be established at high schools and community colleges, including activities to prepare Fresno State students to become competitive health professional school applicants.