Wellspring House Awarded $100,000 Impact Grant from Eastern Bank Foundation
Grant Will Expand Flagship Job Training Program and Reduce Education Barriers for Individuals and Parents Across the North Shore
Wellspring House (Wellspring) was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Eastern Bank Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Impact Grant program, which is focused on advancing economic inclusion and mobility in our communities. This funding will directly support Wellspring’s highly successful Healthcare Office Support Training (HOST) job-training program (also known as MediClerk), coordinated in partnership with Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey Health, and will help reduce financial barriers to education by providing stipends for adults enrolled in full-time HOST program cohorts.
HOST is a 450-hour, comprehensive job-training program that prepares learners for entry-level administrative roles in healthcare. HOST program graduates earn between $37,000 and $46,000 annually as Patient Service Representatives (PSRs) Medical Secretaries, Unit Secretaries, and Scheduling Specialists at medical offices, clinics and hospitals across Cape Ann and the North Shore. With nearly 550 HOST graduates to date, Wellspring’s job training team also offers robust Career Advising services for candidates seeking healthcare roles in high-demand clinical positions, and long-term employment support for alumni.
“Students are incredibly motivated to build a career in healthcare, but also need to financially support themselves and their families while learning new skills. In addition, increased costs of living force many parents to work multiple low-wage jobs and set their education aside to make ends meet,” said Gina Frey, Director of Job Training Initiatives, Wellspring. “This critical funding will allow us to provide paid training stipends to students enrolled in full-time cohort programs, which reduces financial stressors and makes it easier for students to prioritize their career development while maintaining financial security.”
“Workforce development is a large component of helping drive more economic inclusion and mobility for people of color and those living in underrepresented communities but one of the main sticking points has always been a lack of stipends to provide financial breathing room for training. Wellspring’s HOST program tackles this in a unique and powerful way and gets people to work – a win for them and their families and for our area’s healthcare employers who have large worker shortages and need to better tap into untapped sources of talent,” said Nancy Huntington Stager, President and CEO of Eastern Bank Foundation.
“Having studied and analyzed barriers to completing an education, we understand the challenges students face when balancing finances and training, and believe we are ready to intervene immediately and effectively,” said Melissa Dimond, Wellspring President and Executive Director.
“With recent increases in staffing and ongoing classroom expansions within the HOST program, we can now offer paid training and career advising services to 50% more students every year. Thanks to Eastern Bank Foundation’s continued partnership and generous investment, Wellspring will build-in more concrete resources and robust financial supports to help alleviate financial worries for many students, individuals and parents, so they may focus their attention on completing their studies, and build brighter, stable futures for themselves and their families,” Dimond said.
Partners in workforce development for more than ten years, Wellspring is deeply grateful for our partnership with the Eastern Bank Foundation, and we thank them for their continued support.
For more information about the Eastern Bank Foundation
please visit https://www.easternbank.com/eastern-bank-foundation-0