Press Release

Valley High School’s Health TECH Program Gives Students a Real-World Education and Trains Community Health Workers

On-Campus Clinic and Access to Patient Management Technology Prepares Students for Healthcare Careers

Sacramento, CA – October 1, 2024 – Valley High School’s Health TECH program, launched in 2013 as the first of its kind in the country, provides a specialized three-year intense training program to equip students with practical skills needed for a career in community health. An evolution of the school’s public health program, it offers a Community Health Worker (CHW) certificate pathway, preparing students for impactful roles in the healthcare sector. The rigorous program, which students begin in their sophomore year, immerses participants in critical areas of health education, public health, and hands-on community service. Over 180 students are enrolled, and more than 200 have graduated from the program. Many have gone on to careers in healthcare, including as doctors, nurses, and community health workers.

“Valley High is committed to providing opportunities for our students that will give them a leg up when they enter the real-world workforce,” said Rodney Black, Valley High School Health TECH Academy Coordinator and Community Health Worker Training Program Instructor. “We have students from incredibly diverse and often disadvantaged backgrounds—over 50 languages worldwide are spoken on campus. This program gives them marketable skills and real-world experience in patient care, empowering them to improve their communities and pursue careers in the healthcare field.”

Collaborating with Pear Suite, a digital health company that empowers CHWs with its social care navigation platform and provider network, provides students with an intuitive, self-contained tool for patient management, documentation, health plan billing, and more. In addition to providing their platform, Pear Suite staff have provided pro bono technical assistance and advising, enabling students to interact with actual patients and address critical unmet social needs for thousands of community members.

The CHW program covers an array of topics across three years of study. During the sophomore year, students focus on the role of CHWs and core public health concepts like health disparities, nutrition, and infectious diseases. In their junior year, students dive deeper into healthcare navigation, case management, and motivational interviewing skills while learning to use real-world tools like Pear Suite’s platform. Finally, in their senior year, students gain experience in mental health and addiction services, completing 50 hours of required fieldwork, which may be performed at the on- campus clinic and through workshops, health fairs, and research studies supported by another industry partner, Common Good Community.

This partnership aligns Common Good Community’s strengths in working across the healthcare ecosystem with the Valley High Health TECH curriculum, enhancing student learning through hands-on experience and access to tools like Pear Suite. CHW interns are trained to become Coordinated Care Companions, building trust with Medi-Cal members, identifying urgent needs, addressing social drivers of health, and providing personalized care plans to fill gaps and manage long wait times.

In addition to conducting virtual outreach and attending community events, Valley High is proud to have an on-campus clinic. Here, underserved members of the community enrolled in Medi-Cal can receive health screenings and support from culturally sensitive students to secure needed social services, such as housing, food, and transportation—factors that can significantly impact overall health and well-being outcomes.

As Valley High’s Health TECH program continues to prepare the next generation of healthcare workers, it remains steadfast in its mission: empowering students to pursue careers in healthcare and serve and improve their communities’ health. This mission is one that we can all align with and support.

“If you want to improve the world, give young people opportunities to develop purpose and vision for improving their communities. If you change one person, you change the world,” added Black.

Media Contact:

Jordan Bouclin

SVM PR

Jordan.bouclin@svmpr.com

(401)490-9700