The RI Welcome Back Center at Dorcas Place Adult and Family Learning Center is an adult education and workforce development initiative designed to build bridges between the available pool of internationally educated health workers living in our community and the need for a more linguistically and culturally diverse health care workforce. It addresses critical health care labor shortages in Rhode Island through connecting community assets with community needs.
The initiative was developed through a public/private partnership with partial funding from the RI Department of Education, Office of Adult Education. Its primary purpose is to help internationally educated health care professionals who hold credentials from outside the United States become certified and licensed in Rhode Island. The majority of the immigrant professionals residing in Rhode Island are underemployed, unemployed, or working in a field outside of their professions. The Center is targeting four high-demand professions in the health care industry: physicians, nurses, physical therapists and social workers.
The Welcome Back Center is supported by an Advisory Board comprised of representatives from the business, health, hospital, education, advocacy, state government, professional association communities. Founding partners are The RI Department of Education, Office of Adult Education; RI Professional Latinos Association; Stepping Up Consortium of Women and Infants Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital (RIH) the United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP) and RIH/UNAP Healthcare Education Trust; the RI Office of Higher Education and affiliated public institutions: Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), the University of Rhode Island (URI) and Rhode Island College (RIC); the RI Department of Health; Making Connections Providence/Annie E. Casey Foundation; The Rhode Island Foundation; The Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust; United Way of Rhode Island.
The RI Welcome Back Center staff began providing services on June 16, 2008. Upon opening we immediately began to provide direct case management services. The project has been very successful, with very few challenges. The challenges we have had have been used as an opportunity to grow and learn.
Working with the professionals that approach our center has been an enlightening experience. We are seeing professionals from all over the state that are at very different levels of their process, and at very different levels of financial security. However, one thing remains the common denominator among all of them and that is their desire to increase their level of engagement in the process that will facilitate their return to the health field.
The community has embraced this initiative in a way that was completely unexpected. Our partnerships continue to grow and new ways of collaborating are always being identified. These partnerships have enabled us to provide effective programming as well as to increase the services we extend to our participants.
Partnerships include the following:
If you would like to partner with us please do not hesitate to call us!! Contact is Manuela Raposo, 401-273-8866 or mraposo@dorcasplace.org
©2004 Dorcas Place Adult & Family Learning Center, Inc. . 220 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 . phone: 401-273-8866