Nursing Initiative Fundraising Underway, with Promising Response

The Partnership continues to actively seek funding for the Nursing Initiative, with lead program partner Metro State guiding the fundraising effort.

Two funders have expressed interest in the Nursing Initiative so far, and the Partnership has participated in site visits with the F.R. Bigelow Foundation and the Otto Bremer Trust. While no funding has been committed, both site visits indicated funders’ support for the concept and goals of the Nursing Initiative.

The Partnership is continuing fundraising efforts, and currently considering opportunities for state and federal funding. As the Nursing Initiative gains traction, the Partnership is seeking letters of commitment from employer partners who are a part of the Initiative. HealthEast and HealthPartnersThis occasion to crystalize employer partner support for the Nursing Initiative will bolster the development of program details and enhance the level of detail the Partnership includes in grant applications.

C3 Fellows Profile – Sharif Attia

Sharif Attia

Sharif Attia is wasting no time as he pursues a health care career. At age 18, he has nearly completed his associates degree and has solid work experience as a Nutrition Ambassador at HealthEast.

Clear Ambitions

During the fall semester of his junior year at St. Paul Central High School, Attia enrolled in a biology course at MCTC through the Post Secondary Enrollment Option.  At age 17, Attia began his associates degree in biology in the midst of an already busy schedule.  As an exceptional scholar, competitive swimmer, and community volunteer, he is clear about his ambitions. 

"I take advantage of each opportunity.  Some of my peers are fearful of hard work and the prospect of failing.  I am not,"

 he explained.  

"Instead, I focus on my long-term goals: helping people get better and attending dental school."

One key to Attia's success is the 

Central Corridor College (C3) Fellows

 program.  The C3 Fellows program connects college students to healthcare providers along the Metro Transit Green Line to gain entry-level employment and necessary experience to be successful health care professionals. MCTC and Saint Paul College launched the first phase of C3 Fellows, and this year the program is 

expanding to include

 Augsburg, St. Kate's and Metropolitan State University students. 

C3 Fellows is one key strategy for the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership to pursue its goal of hiring more local residents, especially in health care careers.  In 2015, the 

Partnership met its initial goal

 to boost the percentage of local residents in the anchor institutions' workforce by five points - from 13% to 18% - in five years.

Seeking Prosperity

Attia was raised in Alexandria, Egypt with his mother, father, and older brother.  His family decided to move to the United States when he was 13 years old.  Attia's parents instilled a deep commitment to education and career development in their sons.  After a few days in the United States, their parents turned to their sons and asked where they would like to move.  Attia and his brother chose Minnesota for its many highly ranked colleges and universities and employment opportunities within the Twin Cities. 

By the end of 11th grade, he was taking classes at Central High School and gaining college credits through coursework at 

Minneapolis Community & Technical College

, 

Saint Paul College

, and 

Metropolitan State University

.   Supported by his parents and inspired by his brother's academic diligence, Attia found the opportunity of becoming a C3 Fellow while attending courses at MCTC.  He recalled how C3 Fellowship Program Director Brian Mogren was personable, motivating, and enthusiastic when they first met at a career fair.  Attia and Mogren began meeting regularly to work on Attia's resume, connect him to networking events, and provide him with various interview tips. 

Valuable Connections

Sharif Attia

One of the biggest lessons Attia gained as a C3 Fellow was understanding the importance of building and maintaining professional connections.  Attia and Mogren were meeting one afternoon between classes.  Mogren encouraged Attia to apply for a position at St. Joseph's Hospital, in the 

HealthEast Care System

of hospitals, to be a Nutrition Ambassador for patients experiencing different disabilities.  Thanks to the encouragement from Mogren, Attia found the opportunity to bridge his academic interests in biology, career aspirations as a dentist, and personal commitment to patient care with his C3 Fellow job at St. Joseph's.

As a Nutrition Ambassador, Attia had the opportunity to interact with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds and languages.  He was challenged by the need to adapt his style of interacting with patients.  Every individual had a special dietary regime that needed to be explained to the patient. 

Cultural Competency and Patient Outcomes

Attia embraced these challenges at St. Joseph's Hospital.  As an aspiring dentist, he acknowledged how important this experience was for him.

"Whether you are speaking with a patient about nutrition or oral health, communication is key to providing the highest quality health care,"

 he reflected.  

"That is the most important role of any health care provider.  Every culture is unique and as an aspiring dentist, I know that this C3 Fellowship position at St. Joseph's Hospital 

will serve me well for a very long time."

Attia graduated from high school this past May, and is only a few credits away from completing his associates degree in biology.  At 18 years old, Attia has set himself up for success; he will be able to complete his bachelor of science degree in biology within just a couple of years.  The C3 Fellowship has energized Attia's aspirations to go to dental school and continue to offer patients the highest level of health care.  In the end, Attia says that his goals haven't changed since he was a young boy in Egypt  --

"I just want to help people get better."

Moving the Needle

Cindy Fruitrail, Vice President, System Communications and Public Affairs, Fairview Health Services

At Fairview, like many healthcare organizations, we carefully set benchmarks and targets to measure our success in advancing our mission to heal, discover and educate for longer, healthier lives.  The Central Corridor Anchor Partnership has also established benchmarks and targets for our collective efforts to secure regional prosperity. One of the key measures for our success as a Partnership has been met - early!  In 2012, we declared that we wanted to boost the percentage of employees who live in our nearby zip codes from 13% to 18% by 2017. The great news is that we met, and surpassed, this goal - hitting 19.5% in 2015.

While moving the needle is great, it is no time to rest on our laurels.  We know that we have much more work to do to achieve a more local and diverse workforce, as well as to boost transit ridership and increase purchasing from local businesses.  But if something is working here, like our Scrubs Camp and C3 Fellows programs, that is also worthy of praise.  This Anchor Update reports on the success and expansion of our C3 Fellows program that is moving Central Corridor residents into promising healthcare employment pathways.  The good news is that we are not only moving the needle on a benchmark, but realizing that success for these college students also promises success for our organizations, and ultimately more prosperity for us all.

-- 

Cindy Fruitrail, Vice President, System Communications and 

Public Affairs, Fairview Health Services