HAN just released a case study on HAN member Baystate Health’s Impact Workforce program that focuses on a number of zip codes and census tracts in the Springfield, MA area with some of the highest poverty in the country and a high concentration of employees earning the lowest wages. The formalized inclusive, local hiring strategy incorporates new, intentional, outside-in pathways focused on hiring residents of these areas with existing inside-up workforce development initiatives. The objectives are to address the needs of the local community, advance the health system’s community health goals, while also providing a robust workforce pipeline that could fill high-demand jobs.
From the HAN Baystate Health case study:
[Patricia] Samra, [vice president of human resources], and Jason Pacheco, director of workforce planning, led the effort to build out the inclusive, local hiring strategy. To help build buy-in with internal stakeholders, Samra and Pacheco leveraged existing case studies from the Healthcare Anchor Network that highlighted how leading healthcare institutions across the country were working to address zip code-based disparities in life expectancy and health outcomes in their local communities, and socialized the idea of “growing their own” talent by advancing employees from entry-level positions to fill high-need positions.
Baystate Health & anchor coalition receives EDA Recompete Grant
HAN member Baystate Health is a founding member of the Western Massachusetts Anchor Collaborative (WMAC), which was part of the Springfield-Holyoke Recompete Plan proposal, led by the MassHire Hampden County Workforce Board. The proposal was selected as a 2023 U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Recompete Finalist and Strategy Development Grant Recipient and was awarded a $499,000 strategy development grant and is a finalist for up to $20 million to reduce unemployment and establish long-term economic growth in the region.
HAN was happy to inform WMAC of the grant, brainstormed opportunities, and encouraged the collaborative to apply. HAN also provided advisory services for WMAC’s successful retreat in September 2023.
Funding will support four holistic investments that address employment barriers through a shared services hub, workforce development and training, and the expansion of employer commitments to worker-friendly jobs. A coalition of anchor institutions, community based organizations, workforce development and training partners, municipalities, and social services and support agencies have come together to tackle structural barriers to employment and create employer-led access to career pathways.
See also: MassLive article on Frank Robinson who recently retired from Baystate Health and was a HAN leader and Western Massachusetts Anchor Collaborative (WMAC) champion.