CLAY COUNTY—With a significant grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital was pleased to present the Clay County Education Foundation with a grant of $60,000 over three years to enhance healthcare career opportunities for high school students across Clay County.

This program, part of a statewide initiative called “Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida,” aims to prepare students for in-demand healthcare roles through enhanced healthcare academy offerings.

“Through our partnership with the Clay County Education Foundation, HCA Florida Healthcare is not only strengthening our healthcare workforce pipeline but also ensuring our community receives the highest quality care. Together, we can innovate, educate, and inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals, advancing our commitment to giving people a healthier tomorrow,” said Jeff Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital.

The HCA Foundation dollars are projected to impact more than 1,100 Clay and Duval county students, resulting in 125 CNA certification completions and 102 other certifications to include, including Biotechnician Assistant Credentialing Exam (BACE), Certified EKG technician (CET) and Emergency Medical Responder (EMR).

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Workforce Needs Study estimates a shortage of approximately 463,000 healthcare workers by the end of 2024. Through the Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program, the Consortium will develop and manage a grant process allowing local education foundations to apply for grant funds to support local projects that foster healthcare career pathways. The program will fund 15 local education foundations in Florida over the next three years, focusing on activities that lead to nursing or allied health tracks and include work-based learning, healthcare career exploration activities and industry certifications.

"We are thrilled to partner with HCA Healthcare Foundation on this transformative initiative. This generous grant not only addresses critical workforce needs by fostering healthcare careers among Florida's youth but also leverages our capacity to connect students to their communities for meaningful and potentially life-changing learning opportunities,” said Mary Chance, president and CEO of the Consortium. “Together, we're paving the way for a healthier, more prosperous future for Florida.”

The Career Pathways to a Healthier Florida program grant is funded through the Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund focused on addressing high-priority community needs and health equity. Since its launch in 2021, the Fund has committed more than $20 million to communities where HCA Healthcare has a presence and made grants to 90 nonprofit organizations.