STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success ACU Podcast

The "grow your own" approach to workforce development is gaining traction at health centers across the country. As workforce teams design and implement the health professions education and training (HP-ET) programs that best serve their communities, it is helpful to hear from individuals who have followed the HP-ET pathway in their own careers. This episode features a conversation with Robyn Weiss, Director of Workforce Development at the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA), and Dr. Martin Peters, Regional Director of Medical Education and Clinical Assistant Professor at A.T. Still University, who has firsthand experience as a participant in and now champion of health center HP-ET programs.

Health professions education and training (HP-ET) programs can take a variety of forms to serve a variety of professional pathways. This episode of of the STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast series features Robyn Weiss, Director of Workforce Development at the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) speaking to that variety and sharing how the Region X PCA supports health centers in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington as they develop and grow their HP-ET programs. She also highlights the Education Health Center Initiative (EHCI) and other resources health centers can tap into throughout their HP-ET journeys.

The fifth season of the STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast highlights Primary Care Organizations (PCAs), Community Health Centers (CHCs), and National Training and Technical Assistant Partners (NTTAPs) who successfully used, disseminated, and/or implemented practices, strategies, tools, and more gathered from the STAR² Center's training opportunities, technical assistance, or original resources. In this episode, Michelle Fernández Gabilondo is joined by Aniela Brown, Trauma-Informed Care Coordinator at the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to discuss TACHC's Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) Program as they prepare for their fifth cohort to dive into their curriculum designed with the help of ACU STAR² Center at the intersection of workforce, TIC, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) as well as efforts to connect TIC and Value Based Care in Texas.

The fifth season of the STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast highlights Primary Care Organizations (PCAs), Community Health Centers (CHCs), and National Training and Technical Assistant Partners (NTTAPs) who successfully used, disseminated, and/or implemented practices, strategies, tools, and more gathered from the STAR² Center's training opportunities, technical assistance, or original resources. In this episode, Michelle Fernández Gabilondo speaks with Judd Mellinger-Blouch, director of the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center at the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers about some of the challenges facing the health center workforce today and what tools and strategies can be employed by health centers with the support of PCAs to work toward workforce success.

The fifth season of the STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast highlights Primary Care Organizations (PCAs), Community Health Centers (CHCs), and National Training and Technical Assistant Partners (NTTAPs) who successfully used, disseminated, and/or implemented practices, strategies, tools, and more gathered from the STAR² Center's training opportunities, technical assistance, or original resources. In this episode, Michelle Fernández Gabilondo is joined by Malulani Eccleshall, Human Resources Director at Waimānalo Health Center. Malulani shares the health center's unique approach to recruitment and retention and the successful implementation of strategies learned at a recent STAR² Center workshop to enhance their team cohesion and connection with the local community. Learn more about the Waimānalo Health Center Cultural Health and Waimānalo Community.

The fifth season of the STAR² Center Talks Workforce Success podcast highlights Primary Care Organizations (PCAs), Community Health Centers (CHCs), and National Training and Technical Assistant Partners (NTTAPs) who successfully used, disseminated, and/or implemented practices, strategies, tools, and more gathered from the STAR² Center's training opportunities, technical assistance, or original resources. In this episode, Michelle Fernández Gabilondo speaks with Candace Owen, education director at the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), about changes impacting the oral health workforce as the effects of the pandemic continue to unfold in health centers. Candace and Michelle revisit NNOHA and STAR² Center collaborative trainings and discuss how the STAR² Center's Comprehensive Workforce Plan template can be used to engage leadership in developing dental staff at health centers.