7-3-14 Feature Story:
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is expanding its outreach to recruit more veterans with the launch of a new video, Health Centers: Hiring Our Nation's Veterans. The video showcases the compelling stories of veterans who work in health centers around the country, as well as directs potential veteran recruits to helpful job search resources.
NACHC helped launch the veterans hiring initiative with the White House and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2012, with a commitment to hire 8,000 veterans. Across the country, health centers and State/Regional Primary Care Associations have introduced innovative ways to recruit, train and retain veterans entering the civilian workforce. Health centers also provide a health care home for growing numbers of veterans and served 250,000 in 2012 (the most recent data available).
"Veterans and health centers have shared values - both are mission driven, committed to their country and their community," said Tom Van Coverden, President and CEO of NACHC, "We've seen the benefits of hiring veterans - natural leadership skills, a 'get it done' attitude, combined with very high loyalty in terms of retention rates. We're encouraging more health centers to reach out to the veteran community - but at the same time, we need to ensure that veterans know how to find us. This video helps us reach out to both veterans and health centers - and keep us on track to meet our veteran hiring goal."
The nationwide expansion of health centers places ever-greater demands on health centers to further develop a skilled, trained and dependable workforce. Together, health centers and veterans can fill these gaps and work toward the goal of providing access to high quality, low cost primary health care to all Americans.
To watch the Veterans and Community Health Centers video, visit this link. You can also stay informed about the veterans hiring initiative by following the #CHCsHireVets hashtag on Twitter.
