Reach Out Provides a Gateway to Health Professions: Inland Empire Opportunities for Positive Change

At Reach Out, we’ve recognized a area of need in promoting pathways to fulfilling health professions for our youth. Our Health Professions programs, which include our Exploring Health Careers summer and after school programs, serve two great needs in the Inland Empire community: the need for high quality healthcare and the need for sustainable careers for our youth in a stable, promising field.

Greater Diversity in Health Professions Means Better Health Care

Quality, effective healthcare relies upon a strong physician-client relationship. Studies show that minorities tend to demonstrate greater trust and communication with physicians and healthcare professionals who come from a similar ethnic background. This is critical in Inland Empire, where there is a distinct disparity between the minority population and the number of minorities serving in healthcare professions. At Reach Out, we wish to bring balance to this proportion so our local medical care facilities can deliver better service and improve our ailing health care indicators.

Better Opportunities for Our Youth in Inland Empire

Health professions in our region represent some of the most stable and promising career opportunities for youth in Inland Empire. By exposing students to the exciting positions that they can pursue right here in their community, we are helping to open doors to fulfilling careers that will support their own families as well as the medical care needs of Inland Empire.

Health Professions Address the Local Shortage in Physicians

Several studies show that the Inland Empire region has the lowest number of primary care physicians and specialist physicians per capita in California, representing an alarming unmet need for our area. This results in many residents traveling to neighboring regions, such as Los Angeles County, in order to receive the health care that they need. Our health professions program seeks to educate and prepare students for careers in health care right here in Inland Empire. This will help us meet the growing need for quality, local healthcare which will only become more critical as our population ages.

For more information on health professions, Inland Empire and Pomona Valley donors, educators, parents and students can contact Reach Out by calling (909) 982-8641.