Cincinnati — The Health Collaborative (THC) awards six partners with Career Exploration Microgrants, supported by the Ohio Industry Sector Partnership (ISP) grant. A total of $22,300 has been awarded, benefiting students in grades 5-12 and impacting nearly 500 students.

The inaugural recipients of the Career Exploration Microgrants are:

• Cincinnati State Technical Community College for a week-long Scrubs Camp
• Cincinnati Public Schools Pharmacy Technician Career Technical Program for pharmacy technician career exploration at Woodward and Shroder High Schools
• Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative for Road to Medicine program at Mt. Healthy school district
• Northern Kentucky University for Mini Sim Lab Experiences for Ohio middle school students
• Reading Community Schools for CPR and Stop the Bleed training for high school students
• Riverview East Academy to allow students to experience a half day sonography and nutrition/dietetics presentation at University of Cincinnati Colleges of Allied Health Sciences and Nursing and UC Health

Microgrants, with awards of up to $5,000 each, aim to provide support to organizations committed to shaping the healthcare workforce of tomorrow. The awards culminate a successful year of collaboration. Earlier this year, THC, with funding from the OHIO ISP grant, convened employers, educators, and community partners working to increase the availability of high-quality healthcare career exploration opportunities for middle and high school students in our region.

Nicci Weber, Vice President, Human Resources & Administrative Services at The Health Collaborative, stated, “We want to support our steadfast allies in collectively building a diverse healthcare workforce. These microgrants help with the resources necessary to continue their exemplary work.”

These microgrants represent a shared commitment by The Health Collaborative and our Regional Career Exploration Collaborative partners to making quality healthcare career exploration more accessible to all students.

Nicci Weber shared her hope, stating, “Our intention is that these small grants serve as supplements to the commendable work our partner organizations are already undertaking. With collaboration as our guiding principle, we aim to create opportunities for every aspiring healthcare professional to explore, learn, and grow.”

Learn more about The Health Collaborative’s impactful initiatives at workforce.healthcollab.org.