Building Pathways to a Brighter Future
Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board
Great Plains Pathways to Healthcare Professions
Location: Rapid City, SD
OTHER GRANT INFORMATION
Six-Year Project Period: September 30, 2015 - September 29, 2021*
Annual Award Amount: $889,896
Type of Organization: Indian/Native American Tribally Designated Organization
Service Area: Bennett, Dewey, Jackson, Meade, Oglala Lakota (Shannon), Pennington, Todd, and Ziebach Counties in South Dakota; expanding into Nebraska tribal areas
Target Population: American Indian Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income tribally enrolled individuals
FIVE-YEAR QUANTIFIABLE PROJECTIONS
Number of individuals that will be enrolled in the overall HPOG program: 350
Number of TANF recipients that will be enrolled: 210
Number of individual participants that will begin basic skills education: 350
Number of individual participants that will complete basic skills education: 225
Number of participants that will begin any healthcare occupational training: 350
Number of participants that will complete any healthcare occupational training: 225
Number of individual participants that will obtain employment in a healthcare occupation: 200
ABSTRACT
The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board (GPTCHB) implements the Great Plains Pathways to Healthcare Professions (GPPHP) program in a cross-section of urban sites, rural areas, and reservations across South Dakota and Nebraska. GPPHP provides support services for recipients to obtain basic skills education that will lead to an articulated career ladder or an employer- or industry-recognized credential that is currently in demand by the local healthcare industry and will result in employment in a healthcare occupation.
Project goals include: 1) participants will demonstrate enhanced employability and upward mobility within the healthcare industry (providing long-term career options); 2) participants will experience increased stability and decreased dependence on public assistance programs because of their completion of industry-recognized credentials; 3) participants will experience pride, self-worth, and dignity that provide secondary benefits for themselves and the community; and 4) communities within the service region will experience a decrease in unemployment and an increase in trained persons in high-demand healthcare positions.
GPPHP offers support to help defray the cost of training and education, books, fees, tutoring, uniforms, short-term childcare assistance, transportation, emergent situations, and job search expenses. Basic skills training is also included. Occupational training includes Certified Nursing Assistant, Medication Aide, Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Emergency Medical Technician, Paramedic, and Medical Billing and Coding Specialists. Collaborative partnership efforts continue with state TANF, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and Apprenticeship offices, in conjunction with tribal agencies, colleges, universities, healthcare organizations, and employers. The grantee is setting up meetings with various partners, including the Director of Nurses and Director of Revenue from the Oyate Health Center to discuss the potential of an apprenticeship for the Certified Nursing Assistant and Medical Billing and Coding departments.
*This second round of grant awards has been extended an additional 12 months, ending September 29, 2021.
HPOG Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board Abstract (PDF)