OHCC HISTORY
The Oregon Health Career Center, an Oregon not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1994. Until 2002, we served the Portland metropolitan area and surrounding counties as the Columbia Willamette Area Health Education Center.
Many of the programs we offer, particularly those that encourage and support young people choosing health careers, were developed during those early years.
AKA Science: After-school science classes designed to make science fun and interesting for young people in grades k-6. Historically, these classes have been offered in Portland area schools with large numbers of low-income and minority student populations. (Running continuously since 1996.)
Health Careers College Success Program: An array of programs designed to help low-income, first-generation-college-bound high school young people enter college and successfully complete health career training programs. (Running continuously since 1999.)
Health Career Day: A one-day event that draws high school students and teachers from throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington to attend sessions with health professionals, and meet with representatives of college health career programs. (Running continuously since 1996.)
Increasing Workforce Diversity: We have developed a number of programs to bring greater diversity to the health professions. Programs such as: health care interpreter training, bilingual Certified Medical Assistant programs, language immersion programs for healthcare providers and our first nursing education program: a joint effort with Chemeketa Community College that produced bilingual/bicultural nurses for several area hospitals.
Starting in 2001-02, most of our workforce emphasis has focused on Oregon’s nursing shortage. Our N2K Nursing Education Programs have evolved to the point where they include a number of Oregon’s community colleges, several bachelor’s degree nursing programs and numerous Oregon hospitals and health systems. Our contract education/incumbent worker programs are addressing the nursing shortage by increasing college capacity to graduate new nurses and bring them into Oregon’s nursing workforce.
Our K-12 health career pipeline programs continue to thrive and grow. Nearly 5,000 Oregon young people will be involved in at least one of these programs this year. We also continue to explore ways in which we can impact shortages in other key healthcare profession shortage areas.