One of the nation’s foremost healthcare providers, HCA Healthcare, has announced a significant contribution from the HCA Healthcare Foundation. Over the next three years, the Foundation will donate $1 million to the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (Consortium) to support its Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program. This initiative aims to cultivate and expand healthcare career opportunities for underserved high school students across the state.
Joanne Pulles, Vice President of Community Engagement at HCA Healthcare and President of the HCA Healthcare Foundation, expressed the organization’s commitment to investing in local communities and nurturing the future generation of healthcare leaders. By partnering with the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, deeply ingrained in communities statewide, HCA Healthcare seeks to expose students to the array of possibilities for fulfilling careers in healthcare.
According to the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Workforce Needs Study, there is an anticipated shortage of approximately 463,000 healthcare workers by 2024. Through the Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program, the Consortium will oversee a grant process enabling local education foundations to seek funding for projects fostering healthcare career pathways. Over the next three years, the program will support 15 local education foundations in Florida, emphasizing activities leading to nursing or allied health tracks, including work-based learning, career exploration, and industry certifications.
Funded through the Healthier Tomorrow Fund, dedicated to addressing critical community needs and health equity, the Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program grant reflects HCA Healthcare’s commitment to making a tangible impact. Since its establishment in 2021, the Fund has allocated over $20 million to communities where HCA Healthcare operates, supporting 90 nonprofit organizations.
Mary Chance, President & CEO of the Consortium, expressed excitement about partnering with HCA Healthcare Foundation on this transformative initiative. The grant not only addresses a vital workforce need by promoting healthcare careers among Florida’s youth but also facilitates meaningful learning experiences connecting students with their communities.
HCA Healthcare and its Foundation have a longstanding collaborative relationship with the Consortium and its members. In 2023, the Consortium received a $25,000 Healthier Tomorrow Fund Partnership Cultivation Grant from HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division. Moreover, HCA Healthcare has actively engaged with local education foundations through programs like Explore & Excel in Healthcare Careers, facilitating student tours of hospitals and providing hands-on learning equipment.
