Coordinated Care Supports TCC Students with Scholarships
Coordinated Care announced recently that Tacoma Community College (TCC) is one of 10 organizations receiving funds to support students as part of their Scholarship initiative. Designed with an equity lens, Coordinated Care’s Community Scholarship program supports first generation, BIPOC, and underrepresented students entering healthcare professions.
The 2023 Community Scholarship recipients offer degrees and programs in behavioral health. They include:
Eastern Washington University
Edmonds College
Centralia College
Columbia Basin College
Grays Harbor College
Heritage University
Lower Columbia College
Peninsula Community College
Tacoma Community College
Washington Therapy Fund
Last year, TCC was one a recipient of this scholarship program and Coordinated Care’s funds provided 98 gas cards to help TCC Health Careers students with transportation to and from clinical sites and exam sites, which can be located far from the college. Their funds also helped 38 students with licensure exam fees.
“It felt like a small weight was lifted off our shoulders knowing we no longer had one more thing to have to pay for. It was a relief to receive,” said Melissa, a Radiologic Science Program graduate who received support through the fund.
“We are pleased to support TCC students for the second year in a row,” said Beth Johnson, President and CEO at Coordinated Care. “TCC offers so many great healthcare programs and is working to train the future healthcare workforce. By supporting students pursuing healthcare careers, we are collaborating on an upstream solution to meet the local healthcare needs for the Pierce County and South Puget Sound region.”
Coordinated Care is a managed care organization that provides health insurance throughout Washington. Coordinated Care created their Scholarship Program in 2021 in response to workforce shortages within the healthcare industry. After a successful pilot with two schools in 2021, Coordinated Care expanded the program by 400% in 2022 with partners across every region in Washington and funds provided to nearly 300 students. The grants are used for traditional scholarships, for emergency use (such as rent, childcare and transportation) or for costs like exam fees which can unexpectedly derail earning a degree or certificate.