Ascension Michigan in Warren and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation in Detroit have partnered with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Catholic Health in New York on an initiative designed to better support caregivers.
Cleveland Clinic created the Transformational Healthcare Readiness through Innovative Vocational Education (THRIVE), which will be piloted across the three health systems’ reach – southeast Michigan, northeast Ohio, and western New York – over the next three years. The program will be supported by a cumulative investment of more than $20 million, including more than $15 million in grants from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation.
Health care is projected to be the largest employment sector in the U.S. economy by 2026, and the fastest growing occupations in the sector are direct care or front-line caregivers. However, recruitment and retention remain challenges. Many caregivers also face barriers that can lead to high turnover rates.
The THRIVE model implements new screening tools, tailored life skills support, and training.
“We are looking forward to working on this innovative project with these health systems to help increase the retention of caregivers within the rustbelt region. Ascension Michigan cares for our communities through more than 150 sites of care across 30 counties, and we are ready to create a support system for entry-level caregivers,” says Dr. Joseph Cacchione, CEO of Ascension Michigan and Ascension Medical Group. “Caregivers have long served as the backbone of health care, and it is time that we all work together to build their support systems.”
THRIVE will include a screening to proactively identify caregivers most at risk of encountering work readiness and success barriers, providing one-on-one coaching through caregiver support specialists and implementing THRIVE curriculum a few months after a new hire starts.
“THRIVE is a great opportunity for the foundation to help facilitate and support an unprecedented partnership between three health systems working within three major cities and regions to better support, recognize, and value caregivers,” says David O. Egner, president and CEO of the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. “The program sits at the intersection of two of our grant-making focus areas – caregivers and workforce development. And with caregiver recruitment and retention being a challenge that exists beyond the foundation’s two primary geographies of western New York and southeast Michigan, our hope is for THRIVE to serve as a sustainable model that can be implemented nationwide.”
