As a health system, we are translating the vision of the Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) into impactful initiatives in the communities we are privileged to serve.
Tina Schaffer, M.Ed., SHRM-SCP, vice president, chief talent strategy and diversity officer, sheds light on our efforts to implement HAN’s best practices, driving meaningful change in communities and lives.
“We are active in the anchor mission pillars, even while having our own Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University that provides quality high education students interested in healthcare careers, we understood the need in underserved areas of our community,” Schaffer says. Investing in Baton Rouge Community College is a recent example of place-based investing and developing a stronger local workforce. Other ways we’re removing barriers to career pathways include discounted and on-site daycare in some of our facilities and the creation of our Faith Fund, which is our low-interest team member loan program, to address a key driver of health: financial stability.
“We learned from HAN’s tools and resources and are executing their recipe,” Schaffer says. “I’m accessing these best practices and networking with other healthcare systems to do this work.”
When Schaffer returned to our health system five years ago, HAN’s guidance led her work, building talent strategy to find quality academic partners to fill gaps in high turnover, high vacancy roles. Those identified roles were medical assistants, sterile processing assistants and certified nursing assistants.
“Working with local community colleges, and nonprofits like Propel, we created pathways for team members and others in the community to obtain gainful employment in one of those three positions,” Schaffer says. Those cohorts have their certifications sponsored by our health system.
Since this work began in 2021, we have credentialed approximately 500 new and current team members who can fill these roles. This brings about life-changing impacts as these team members now earn almost 55% more hourly. Additionally, we can fill open positions, allowing us to continue to offer these healthcare services to our communities.
“That’s the kind of impact we’re having,” Schaffer says. “We are now providing accelerated career pathways for high school students. These frameworks and best practices are being shared and perfected across HAN member health systems.”
Leading with Our Faith Fund
Sometimes our health system is an innovator, trying new approaches to care for those most in need.
One example of our health system’s leadership is our Faith Fund, which Schaffer explains in this Catholic Health Association video based on a HAN case study we conducted.
“We created this fund to get our team members on a path to financial stability and out of the habit of predatory lending,” Schaffer says.
Our health system’s journey with HAN exemplifies our commitment to driving equity and transformation in our communities. With strategic collaboration, through partnerships like HAN, we continue to pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future.
