Community Voices is making a significant contribution to understanding the health workforce challenges facing communities, advancing recommendations for change, and implementing solutions.  Working with Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) on the project, Preparing the Health Workforce of the Future: Community Voices Service-Learning Partnerships, Community Voices sites are working to facilitate and strengthen partnerships with nearby colleges and universities, and to articulate the role of communities in achieving a competent, diverse health workforce. 

Denver Health is engaged in a unique partnership with the Community College of Denver to develop and implement a certification program to train outreach workers; the first class of outreach workers graduated in May 2002.  The Community College of Denver also offers courses in English as a Second Language, advanced nursing, surgical technology, and paramedics that are focused on the educational needs of Denver Health employees.  Denver Health also has strong clinical partnerships with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, offering clinical placement sites for students in the health sciences. 

One of Denver Health's most noteworthy partnerships involves the Community College of Denver and a local technical high school.  In this partnership, high school students are encouraged to go into health sciences professions through course work at the Community College of Denver and through contact with Denver Health employees.  Students are offered opportunities for job-shadowing, mentoring, and volunteering.  Through this collaborative approach, student interest in health professions can be increased. 

For more information about CCPH, contact:
Sarena D. Seifer, Executive Director, sarena@u.washington.edu
Rachel Vaughn, Program Coordinator, rvaughn@u.washington.edu