This content was published: February 4, 2021. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Washington County partnership creates job opportunities in healthcare
Opportunity Center Staff
For many students, Portland Community College is a bridge to the middle class. Working closely with industry and social service partners, PCC provides education and training that helps people move from minimum wage jobs into living wage, family supporting careers.
In 2019, Community Action, which is a Washington County-based nonprofit, launched a pilot program called Whole Family Approach to support the parents and guardians of children enrolled in local Head Start programs with healthcare career training. Powered by a robust partnership between Community Action, PCC’s Community Workforce Development and Institute for Health Professionals, the Department of Human Services, Worksystems and the Oregon Employment Department, Whole Family Approach helped a cohort of Head Start parents enter PCC’s Patient Access Specialist Online Training Program during the 2019-20 academic year.
Patient access specialists are the frontline registration personnel that are often the first face a person sees when they enter a hospital, clinic, or specialized medical department. From signing in patients to completing insurance forms, a patient access specialist plays an important role in the business side of the hospital or clinic while also serving a key customer service function.
Read more about the partnership in PCC News.