Historically Black Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles has established the Compton Community Health Professions Partnership. The partnership will include Compton College, the Compton Unified School District, Kedren Health, St. Johns Community Health, and California State University, Dominguez Hills.
In order to address the disparities in healthcare access and improve educational attainment for greater Compton area residents, the partnership will create a seamless pipeline for health professional education and training to forge areas of job growth in the greater Compton community. This pipeline will begin in middle and high school for students leading into health professional degree programs at Compton College, California State University, Dominguez Hills, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
In its first year, the partners engaged in the partnership will participate in extensive public listening forums to hear firsthand from people who are experiencing barriers to entering healthcare professions, among other problems. As part of the ensuing phase of student recruitment, high schoolers will engage with CCHPP partners to tap into postsecondary training related to these professions.
“These are the organizations that are making a difference in our community. This is where the future of health and healthcare is going to start for the communities of South Los Angeles, Compton, and all the communities around them, ” said David M. Carlisle, president . “There is no other collaboration like this in the entire country. This is a lesson that every other state can take advantage of and learn from.”
