Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center on May 10, presented LAUSD’s Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center with a $40,000 community health grant aimed at helping students pursue healthcare careers as Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs).
The new funding will enable LAUSD to purchase brand new training materials for its free Vocational Nursing Program that primarily serves students in Watts. These include Smart Scopes, Integrated Diagnostic Systems, CPR mannequins, and virtual reality medical training gear, all of which are essential equipment needed as part of the students’ LVN training program.
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“One of the things that’s very important to our school in an area like ours here in Watts is our partnerships,” said Anna Elsa Madrid, principal of Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center. “We can’t succeed without partnerships. And, a partnership as large as this one with Kaiser Permanente will have a huge impact on the lives of students here in Watts and the community that we serve.”
Lisa Lopez, chief administrative officer, Kaiser Permanente Downey Service Area, said the grant will help develop future LVNs who represent the diversity of the Los Angeles area.
“It’s important to have healthcare workers who represent the diversity of our members,” she explained. “Research shows that people are more willing to participate in their own healthcare decisions and improve their outcomes when they’re receiving care from people from their own community and from individuals who look like them.”
As part of this event, Kaiser Permanente Human Resources talent acquisition staff also assisted nursing students with resume-building tips, as well as successful job interview strategies.
