TriHealth School to Work program brings diversity, new experience to area's health care

Sixteen students recently completed a hospital-based training program designed to bolster diverse staffing in the Cincinnati area's health care workforce, which has only a small fraction of Black or Latino workers.

In May they completed TriHealth's School to Work program, a partnership between TriHealth and Cincinnati Public Schools that gives students the chance to work in the Good Samaritan Hospital for a two-year period to explore health care, build job skills, and contribute to their community, hospital officials say.

The program is funded with a $1 million grant from bi3 , a philanthropic organization whose mission is to transform health for all of Cincinnati through grants for innovative health care programs and health equity. They want to inspire diverse high schoolers to pursue health care careers, said Jill Miller, bi3 president and CEO.

"There's a growing body of research that shows that having a culturally, racially and ethnically diverse workforce leads to improved outcomes for all," Miller said. "There are some people that feel more comfortable seeing a provider that looks like them and speaks like them, and that leads to trust and better patient outcomes."

In Cincinnati, 5% of physicians are Black or Latino, while the population is nearly 50% Black or Latino, according to The Doctors Foundation . Miller said the data shows there is a much higher need for diverse staffing in health care.

Cincinnati Public Schools helps identify and recruit the students for the program. Around 110 have taken part since the program started in 2019. Most have gone on to college with an interest in pursuing health care fields, Miller said.

Of the 16 graduates this year, 13 are college-bound, two plan on enlisting in the military to pursue nursing, and one is starting a career in health care, according to the bi3 blog .

The Enquirer talked to two student graduates about their experiences. We edited some quotes for clarity.

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Suzana Mazibo graduated from Hughes STEM High School in Clifton Heights, and plans to attend Berea College in the fall to get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.

What did the program show you about the importance of diversity in health care?

"I want to be a person that works in health care that when people who look like me see me, they feel a connection and like they'll be well taken care of. Most patients when they come in really don't know what's going to happen to them but when they see people like them taking care of them they feel more at ease."

What was your favorite department to work in?

"Central serializing and processing. I really got to learn about the instruments that are used in surgery, how they're correctly processed and how they need to be disinfected. It was really fun working down there. You just had to make sure the instruments that were going to be used were clean and safe."

What advice do you have for students who want to be in the program?

"There's so much more in the medical field that's not being a doctor or nurse. The best thing I would advise to anybody that wants to be in the School to Work program is to come in with a desire to be in health care. You may not know what that is but come in with the desire and it will push you forward. It teaches you to be out of your comfort zone."

TriHealth School to Work will inspire students, graduate says

Neveah Wesley graduated from Woodward Career Technical High School in Bond Hill. She plans to attend North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in the fall to major in pre-nursing. She wants to be a doctor in pediatrics one day.

Do you think the School to Work program is effective at getting more diversity into health care?

"I think they are because a lot of the schools they are recruiting us kids from are predominantly Black and Hispanic. I think by bringing us in and letting us see how health care is will inspire us, especially if you're already into health care and want to pursue that career."

What was your favorite department to work in?

"Mother and baby. Every time I would go in I would ask the nurse manager if there was anything they really needed me to do and they would have me do things like prep mother packages, or going around to check on rooms to make sure everything was cool before patients came up, or putting new beds in."

What advice do you have for students who want to be in the program?

"To definitely be open-minded. You might not even want to be anything clinical when you go, but definitely talk to people because they might do something that you find interesting and they'll have advice to give you. Advocate for yourself a little and talk to everybody that you can, especially if it's something that interests you."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: TriHealth School to Work program brings diversity, new experience to area's health care