To kick off National Apprenticeship Week, United We Heal (UWH) celebrated their graduating apprentices in Portland on Friday, November 15th.
Behavioral health workers from all over Oregon graduated from their apprenticeship programs attaining their credentials as Qualified Mental Health Associates (QMHA) and Certified Drug & Alcohol Counselors (CADC). Through UWH and the apprentices' employers, months of on-the-job training and classes have equipped these apprentices with the skills needed to fill in-demand positions in behavioral health. United We Heal’s apprenticeship program works with Oregon employers to train their workers, at no cost to them, to help them advance in their careers and fill vital roles desperately needed in the behavioral health industry.
UWH was joined by The Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO), Oregon AFSCME, Oregon's Bureau of Labor and INdustry (BOLI) and behavioral health employers in celebrating graduates from Cascadia Health, Sunstone Way, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, Mid-Columbia Center for Living, and Lane County. Host Lamar Wise, Oregon AFSCME Political Director, spoke to the graduates along with leaders from Oregon's behavioral health sector.
CADC graduate, Lysandra Robnett, shared, “A little over five years ago, I walked out of prison, and I never would have thought I'd be anywhere where I'm at today… I really wanted to be a part of the change I want to see in the world. And I have that lived experience of being on the street, being addicted, all those things. And I just wanted to make people know that they matter, even though they're still struggling, they're still human.”
QMHA graduate Andrea Andrew from Sunstone Way also spoke at the event, “I went to school for computer science, and I worked for the government for 25 years. And then my father passed away at 44, and I fell into addiction for three years. In those three years, I caused a lot of wreckage. I got three felonies. My mom sent me a train ticket, and I came down here to Portland, where I went through detox and got into some programs here… Going through my own personal story, then working with the underserved population or the vulnerable population, I realized how much of a big need that was, you know, dealing with the homelessness situation here in Portland.”
Andy Friedman, Executive Director of United We Heal Training Trust said, “Oregon has a behavioral health crisis that requires a strategic response. By having United We Heal partner with employers, giving them autonomy to select and hire apprentices, we strengthen our state’s ability to tackle this problem head-on. Our graduates are a powerful example of our dedication to solving the ongoing crisis, thanks to this partnership.”
Dave Kohler, People and Culture Officer at Cascadia Health shared, “It's an honor for us [Cascadia] to be a training agent partner with United We Heal. Workforce shortage has been a big deal in behavioral health care, and we haven't been able to fill the positions and meet the demand, and that's not just a Cascadia thing.”
Jody Robbins, Director of the Apprenticeship and Training Division, from BOLI (Oregon Bureau of Labor Industries), addressed the graduates, “We at BOLI are committed to bringing more of these opportunities, and it is a paradigm shift… I'm here today to tell you that we are working hand-in-hand with United We Heal to figure out all the myriad of certification and licensure requirements that have to be incorporated with these apprenticeship pathways. But we are committed to be here to do this with you.”
United We Heal is creating sustainable opportunities for career advancement in healthcare through equitable apprenticeship and training programs that are responsive to the needs and diversity of clients, patients, workers, and employers. To learn more about United We Heal’s behavioral health apprenticeships and get involved, please visit our website at oregonuwh.org.
