Community partnership to launch innovative healthcare pathway program in D.C.
Children’s National Hospital has received a $1.2 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF in support of a collaborative new effort to strengthen the healthcare workforce and expand career opportunities for frontline workers through a pathway initiative to meet the evolving healthcare needs in the Washington, D.C., community.
The Bedford Falls Pathfinder Program is designed to create long-term, sustainable workforce development by identifying local talent and leveraging local partnerships and resources. It is supported by a multi-year grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF and developed in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, Catholic Charities - DC, Children’s National Hospital, So Others Might Eat (SOME), Trinity Washington University and Unity Health Care. Research will also be conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago throughout the program to share learning and impact with a broader community.
The grant will create 30 patient care technician (PCT) apprenticeships at Children’s National over the next three years. PCTs play a crucial role in supporting patients by providing non-invasive care and technical assistance under the supervision of a nurse. The Bedford Falls Pathfinder Program will also allow apprentices to advance their careers by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing within four years.
This investment builds on earlier support from the Bedford Falls Foundation, which created the Conway Nursing Pathway Program in 2019. Since then, the Pathway Program has offered hands-on experiences in pediatric nursing and provided scholarship support to 77 Pathfinder students. It has launched the promising careers of 47 nurses at Children’s National.
“The Conway family and the Bedford Falls Foundation are opening doors of opportunity to rewarding careers as PCTs with a pathway to becoming nurses,” says Linda Talley, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, FAAN, senior vice president and chief nursing officer at Children’s National. “These are sustainable careers that make a difference in our community.”
The Bedford Falls Foundation, a private foundation, and the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF, its associate donor advised fund, were each established by Bill Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the global investment firm The Carlyle Group, and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway. The shared mission of their nursing philanthropy is to remove barriers to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage. In addition to nursing, the Foundation also supports health and human service initiatives in Washington, D.C., that provides pathway opportunities aimed at strengthening community well-being and access to care for our most vulnerable populations.
“The partnership and collaboration on this initiative with our established partners is deeply meaningful to our Foundation,” says Bill Conway. “Supporting pathways for individuals to become registered nurses and advancing the broader health and human services helps build a stronger community and healthier future for all of us.”
The program is expected to launch later this year, with the first cohort in August.
