A recent educational initiative is launching new student-led medical clinics designed to address unmet community needs and bolster the health care workforce.

The clinics are fueled by a partnership between Equip Human Solutions, Western Medical Training Center and CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS). Equip Human Solutions offers staffing, talent acquisition, development and training services. The partnership also includes the company’s nonprofit affiliate Equip Resource Solutions.

In addition to establishing no-cost medical community clinics, the partnership with CVS Health is also intended to build stronger educational and career development infrastructures for the next generation of hospice and home health care workers. This is according to Damien Weston, president and CEO of Equip Human Solutions. Weston has two decades of health care leadership experience and has served as chief revenue officer at Agile Occupational Medicine, chief growth officer at Mission Healthcare and regional vice president of operations at Compassus, among other roles.

“The macro-level impact of this initiative is significant,” Weston told Hospice News. “Our training partnership with organizations such as CVS Health directly strengthens the hospice and home health workforce pipeline by expanding access to training for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and pharmacy technicians, who form the entry point into direct hospice and palliative care careers while also supporting ancillary services. Many of our students advance into home health, hospice and related fields, helping to meet the pressing national need for skilled caregivers.”

Building new career pathways

The new educational model integrates technology, with students participating in a 10-week online training program. Students then transition to an onsite learning environment located in Equip Human Solutions’ 1,500 square-foot Community Learning Lab and Life Enrichment Center. The center operates the company’s current scope of community clinics.

In addition to clinical and pharmaceutical education, training programs are also available in patient case management, front office and C-suite mentorship. Students are offered careers in the health care field upon completing their education.

The collaboration with CVS Health is intended to be “transformative” when it comes to strengthening the hospice workforce pipeline, Weston said.

Expanding access to clinical, pharmaceutical and entry-level health care professional training is critical in today’s climate, he stated. The nation’s swelling aging population is creating a “tsunami” of need when it comes to hospice, palliative care and home health, pushing up demand for professionals who can provide these services, said Weston. A large issue is that medical students often do not receive much exposure to hospice or palliative care throughout the course of their education, leaving a deficit of future providers.

The medical student-led clinics offer educational touchpoints to better understand the evolving needs of serious and terminally ill patients, according to Weston. Students learn the foundational skills of providing compassionate end-of-life care from experts in the hospice field, he added.

Equip Human Solutions began building the medical student clinic model in 2023. Health care staffing shortages were among the factors that drove the educational, clinic-based model forward, Weston said. The pandemic exacerbated workforce issues as many clinicians left the field due to burnout and compassion fatigue.

Having hands-on educational models is a significant part of ensuring patient-centered care, according to Alex Perez, a certified nurse assistant and medical student who participated in the clinics. Perez graduated from Equip’s CNA program after being referred through the San Diego Housing Commission’s grant work.

An important part of the training program was the ability to gain experience at the bedside serving patients with a variety of conditions and needs, as well as treat individuals at different stages of their health care trajectories — including at the end of life, Perez indicated.

“I enjoyed pretty much everything [about the training], but mostly how we [had] hands-on all the time, and how much our teacher encouraged us to work as a team,” Perez told Hospice News in an email. “I learned every single skill almost by memory because of all the practice time we got. I do believe the CNA course reinforced my previous skills and knowledge as a CNA, but it showed me a lot of important life skills as well. For example, team work, using communication, being more empathetic with others, etc.”

Equip Human Solutions developed a referral relationship with the San Diego Housing Commission after recognizing a growing need for person-centered community-based care. Through the relationship, the commission helps identify young adults experiencing homelessness who may be interested in a medical career. Thus far, the referral relationship has resulted in the graduation of several medical students who have entered the health care field in roles such as pharmacists, CNAs and hospice and home health caregivers, according to Weston.

Partnerships with various community organizations, nonprofits and corporations are key to building sustainable and scalable clinic-based medical educational models, he stated. Equip Human Solutions also partners with a diverse group of local businesses across the country, including companies with owners and employees who speak English as a second language. The goal is to remove barriers to education, Weston indicated.

“The relationship with San Diego Housing Commission takes these young adults off the streets and gives them a pathway into the medical field,” Weston said. “That’s really at the heart of this partnership with CVS that some other corporate and government agencies are leaning into. We’re able to offer them career-long job placement services. We take the proceeds from our staffing division and put it right back into the community clinics and scholarships for young adults.”

Expanding hospice access

The educational clinic-based model is offered at no cost to patients, a key point during a time of reduced federal health care spending, according to Weston. The roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts included in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act are expected to have potentially detrimental impacts on health care access over the next decade, he indicated.

The clinics are in part aimed at addressing systemic gaps of need among terminally ill patients, Weston said.

“Too often, patients with housing insecurity or without traditional access points are excluded from home health or hospice services,” he told Hospice News. “Our collaboration with CVS is helping shape what industry supported workforce and community revitalization can look like. This collaboration does not solve all the problems, but it offers a future and a hope for our students, and those they are honored to serve.”

Students at the medical clinics are encouraged to participate in developing innovative care models, according to Weston. The student engagement has been a key component to the educational model’s success, and also plays an important role in driving more person-centered care experiences that result in better outcomes, he added.

Having greater exposure to hospice is key for any medical student to have, Winie Salazar Sindac. A graduate of  Equip Human Solutions’ CNA and home health assistant programs, Salazar Sindac is currently pursuing licensed vocational nursing certification. Bedside experience in end-of-life care can provide medical students with the valuable skills to support patients and their families, she stated.

“The hardest part of hospice is the fear families carry during this difficult stage,” Salazar Sindac told Hospice News in an email. “I’ve learned that by listening with empathy and walking alongside them, we can turn fear into peace and make those final moments full of love and comfort.”