Project Grant D1850068

HEALTH CAREERS OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM - BY 2025, CALIFORNIA WILL NEED AN ADDITIONAL 4,700 PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. OUR NORTH BAY COMMUNITIES, CONTRA COSTA, MARIN, NAPA, SACRAMENTO, SAN JOAQUIN, SOLANO, SONOMA, AND YOLO COUNTIES ARE SOME OF THE NATION'S MOST RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE COUNTIES. PEOPLE IN THESE COUNTIES EXPERIENCE MODERATE TO HIGH LEVELS OF VULNERABILITY, HEALTH DISPARITIES, AND SIGNIFICANT SHORTAGES IN PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS. TOURO UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIA PROVIDES GRADUATE HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEGREES (PHARMACY, PHYSICIAN, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, NURSE PRACTITIONERS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH). THE MISSION IS TO SERVE, TO LEAD, AND TO TEACH, FOCUSING ON PRODUCING PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS THAT WORK IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. SINCE 2010, THE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE HAS RANKED IN THE TOP 15 SCHOOLS NATIONALLY FOR THE NUMBER OF GRADUATES ENTERING PRIMARY CARE RESIDENCY, RANKING 12TH NATIONALLY IN 2022. THE HCOP PROGRAM WILL FACILITATE ECONOMICALLY AND EDUCATIONALLY UNDERSERVED STUDENTS TO OVERCOME COMMON BARRIERS AND ENHANCE UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE OR PRE-REQUISITE COMPLETION, ENROLLMENT INTO HEALTH PROFESSION PROGRAMS, GRADUATION, AND PREPARATION TO SERVE IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH VALLEJO SCHOOL DISTRICT, SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AND CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY STOCKTON WILL RECRUIT DIVERSE, ECONOMICALLY, AND EDUCATIONALLY UNDERSERVED STUDENT PARTICIPANTS. THE TUC HCOP ACADEMY PROVIDES A ROBUST MENTORING LADDER SCAFFOLDED ACROSS DIFFERENT EDUCATIONAL LEVELS INCLUDING SUMMER PROGRAMS, A PRE-MATRICULATION BRIDGE PROGRAM, POST-BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMS, AND A SCAFFOLDED AMBASSADOR PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE:- PIPELINE OF STUDENTS INTERESTED IN AND COMPETITIVE FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS.- ACCEPTANCE OF STUDENTS INTO HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS- NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ENTER AND ARE SUCCESSFUL IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS.- NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE FROM HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS AND ENTER INTO PRIMARY CARE PRACTICES.THE PROGRAMS ARE SCAF FOLDED AND LINKED SUCH THAT ACHIEVEMENT AT EACH SUCCESSIVE LEVEL INCREASES STUDENTS' STIPEND AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS, WITH THE PENULTIMATE BEING THE AMBASSADOR HP CONNECT PROGRAM. STUDENTS WILL ULTIMATELY PARTICIPATE AND TRAIN IN PRIMARY CARE, COMMUNITY-BASED SETTINGS, AND RURAL AND MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES AS THEY FINISH THEIR HEALTH PROFESSIONS DEGREES TO PRACTICE IN THESE COMMUNITIES AFTER GRADUATION OR RESIDENCY.WE WILL ANNUALLY ENROLL 25 HIGH SCHOOL AND 25 COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INTO A 6-WEEK SUMMER HEALTH CAREERS PROGRAM, 10 POST-BAC STUDENTS INTO THE MASTER OF SCIENCE MEDICAL HEALTH SCIENCES OR MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH, 15 PRE-MATRICULATING STUDENTS (ACCEPTED INTO MEDICINE, PHARMACY, OR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAMS) INTO THE BRIDGE PROGRAM, 30 STUDENTS INTO THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMS, AND 9 STUDENTS INTO THE AMBASSADOR HP CONNECT PROGRAM. THESE SIX STRUCTURED PROGRAMS HAVE A CURRICULUM DESIGNED EXPLICITLY AT THE LEVEL OF THE STUDENT TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. FOR EXAMPLE, STUDENTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL AND UNDERGRADUATE LEVELS WILL EARN COLLEGE CREDIT AND DEVELOP MUCH-NEEDED MATH AND ENGLISH SKILLS TO HELP THEM SUCCEED IN COLLEGE. ADDITIONALLY, ALL PROGRAMS WILL FOCUS ON DEVELOPING HEALTH CAREERS, KNOWLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH DISPARITIES, HEALTH EQUITY, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM WILL ALSO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY THROUGH YEARLONG PUBLIC OR COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECTS. SUPPORT MECHANISMS SUCH AS FACULTY AND PEER MENTORING, CAREER DEVELOPMENT, NON-COGNITIVE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT, ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL SUPPORTS, FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION, COUNSELING, STIPEND AWARDS, AND STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS WILL ENCOURAGE GROWTH AND RETENTION IN THEIR CAREER PATH THROUGH GRADUATION FROM A HEALTH CAREERS PROGRAM.