UPMC: Helping to provide life changing education

1881 Society: UPMC
$75,000 – Plus

Med Assisting. Phlebotomy & Surg tech Scholars program

Mens & Womens Soccer Training Equipment programs (5 year commitment)

Donated mobile AED machines

Donated lightly used medical equipment for use in learning laboratories

Provide grant funds to support scrubs for the CPC career closets

Golf open sponsor providing scholarship support via the CPC Education Foundation

JESSICA RITCHIE
President, UPMC Pinnacle Foundation

UPMC has been a trusted fixture in the midstate marketplace, as its team of professionals upholds their shared mission to provide life changing medicine. The seven- hospital system serves patients throughout central Pa., providing personalized primary care as well as state- of-the-art cardiology, kidney transplantation, pediatrics, labor and delivery, and other specialties.

In partnering with Central Penn College, UPMC has extended its mission to also help provide life changing education, and our students are finding immediate success in the exciting world of health care as a result.

Under the leadership of former UPMC in Central Pa. president Lou Baverso and, more recently, David Gibbons, regional president and senior vice president of the UPMC Health Services Division, UPMC has been at the front lines in tackling national workforce shortages and developing the caregivers of today and tomorrow.

“Our collaborative efforts with Central Penn College support specialized health care education and new opportunities for job-related training and career placement after graduation,” said Christina Persson, vice president, Office of the President, UPMC in Central Pa. “Expanding the curricula helps maintain and build a skilled health care workforce that will provide quality care to area residents for years to come. We value key relationships like the one we’ve created with Central Penn College and look forward to our continued innovation and cooperation

to support education, better health, and career opportunities in our region.”

This strong partnership allows Central Penn College students interested in several in-demand fields
— such as medical assisting, phlebotomy, and surgical technology — to land jobs immediately upon graduation, with the potential to have their tuition reimbursed after several years of successful employment through the UPMC Scholars Program. It is a true win-win-win for students, the patients they will care for, and the UPMC hospitals in need of their expertise.

“The UPMC Pinnacle Foundation is proud to support students at Central Penn College through the UPMC Scholars Program,” said Jessica Ritchie, president, UPMC Pinnacle Foundation. “When we can reduce financial barriers for students pursuing careers in health care, we help create access to education.

The skills and knowledge students develop during their classes and training have lifelong value as they graduate and grow in their chosen fields.”

In building this talent pipeline, the health care system can hire highly trained staff to help them render effective and empathetic care to patients in hospitals, physician offices, clinics, urgent care centers, outpatient surgery centers, and more.

“In health care, we talk a lot about building the pipeline so that we can serve our patients and communities now and in the future. Increasing diversity in that pipeline is a key factor in improving health care access for everyone,” said Tina Nixon, vice president, Mission Effectiveness and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, UPMC in Central Pa. “A partnership like the one between UPMC and Central Penn College not only makes high quality education more accessible for students who might not have considered health care careers, but its promotion serves to increase awareness that these opportunities exist. We want you to learn, we want you to become part of this team that provides life changing medicine for our communities, and we want to help you get there.”

UPMC’s presence is also highly visible in the classroom. They provide scrubs to Central Penn students so they instantly can “feel” like a health care worker and gain the respect that accompanies that identity. UPMC has also donated AED machines and lightly used medical equipment to the college’s learning laboratories, so students are job-ready on Day One.

UPMC has even gone beyond the Summerdale campus in its support for Central Penn College. They are sponsoring the Knights’ men’s and women’s soccer teams at Skyline Sports Complex, on picturesque City Island. Their signs around

the field are just another visible reminder of their commitment to good health through exercise and teamwork.