A hospital needed nurses. Baltimore County wanted more good jobs. This program helps both.

Becoming a nurse sounded like it would be the perfect job for Danielle Gonzalez — at least on paper. She already had experience working in health care. Before leaving the workforce to look after her third child, who was born with health problems, she worked as a certified medical assistant for about 10 years. Plus, she loved caring for others. But when she looked into how much it would cost for her to go back to school, she became less optimistic. Her husband, a carpenter, was supporting the family on a single income. They were living paycheck-to-paycheck. It was hard […]

Becoming a nurse sounded like the perfect job for Danielle Gonzalez — at least on paper.

She already had experience working in health care. Before leaving the workforce to look after her third child, who was born with health problems, she worked as a certified medical assistant for about 10 years. Plus, she loved caring for others.

But when she looked into how much it would cost to go back to school, she became less optimistic. Her husband, a carpenter, supported the family on a single income. They were living paycheck-to-paycheck. It was hard enough keeping up with the cost of living and putting food on the table.

“OK,” she told herself. “This is not a reality. I can’t do this.”

Then, she read about Public Health Pathways — a workforce development pilot program created by Baltimore County, the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center and the Community College of Baltimore County. Suddenly, a nursing career didn’t seem so unattainable.

The program, which accepted its first cohort last June, covers the cost for unemployed and underemployed Baltimore County residents to attend the community college to first become certified nursing assistants, then licensed practical nurses — a job that requires more training, but also comes with a higher salary.

After students become certified nursing assistants, they are offered guaranteed employment with full benefits at St. Joe’s in Towson, where they can work while continuing their education. They also receive a monthly $1,000 stipend to help with childcare, transportation, rent or other needs that could make it difficult to participate in the rigorous program.

Jennifer Lynch, senior policy adviser for education and workforce for Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr., described the program as the brainchild of Olszewski and Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System. It’s meant to tackle two problems at once: The dire need for more health care workers and challenges faced by economically disadvantaged county residents trying to enter or advance in the workforce.

To kickstart the program, the medical system contributed $500,000 and Baltimore County contributed $675,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funding. It’s part of the county’s push to “reimagine” workforce development, Lynch said. While it’s great to help someone get hired in an entry-level position, efforts shouldn’t stop there, she said.

“Our goal is always not to just get somebody in the door, but to get them to that family sustaining wage,” Lynch said.

Licensed practical nurses earned, on average, $59,730 per year in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More than 500 people applied for the Pathways program when the application was released early last year, said Sandra Kurtinitis, president of Baltimore County’s community college. Of that number, only 28 — including Gonzalez — were selected to enroll in the college’s certified nursing assistant program.

From June to September last year, the students completed that training, then were hired by St. Joe’s. Nine students decided to continue with their education to become licensed practical nurses.

Lynch and other supporters of the program consider that a victory.Typically, they said, a smaller percentage of students who enroll in certified nursing programs graduate, and even fewer pursue higher levels of education.

Gonzalez, who’s now enrolled in the community college’s practical nursing program, will be the first to admit that it’s hard work. Despite the grind, however, she and other participants say the program is worth it.

Alicia Saunders, a single mother of a 12-year-old son, also ruled out applying for nursing school after researching how much it would cost. When she saw an advertisement for the Public Health Pathways program on Instagram, she said it felt like divine intervention.

Before enrolling in the program, Saunders worked in a variety of administrative assistant roles at Baltimore-area nonprofits. Becoming a licensed practical nurse will boost her family’s earnings and give her the chance to work in a field that she’s passionate about, she said. She remembers the wonder she felt the first time she heard a heart murmur.

“Stuff like that during the journey is a really big deal to me,” she said. “It’s really exciting.”

The Pathways program already has gotten a lot of attention. Olszewski was invited to talk about it at the White House in November 2022, before the program was launched. And this year, state lawmakers sponsored legislation in the General Assembly that would continue to fund the pilot program and expand it.

With the state facing a tough fiscal year, Olszewski knew the legislation could face some challenges. Legislative staff estimated that implementing it would cost about $184,200 in fiscal year 2025 to develop the program and staff an advisory board, then roughly $829,500 the following fiscal year for ongoing staffing costs and financial support for selected students. Costs could be “considerably lower,” depending on the number of students served and the services provided, according to the legislation’s fiscal and policy note.

The program has the power to change the families’ lives by increasing their earning potential, Olszewski said. Hospitals in Maryland also are in desperate need of more nurses, with 1 in every 5 positions vacant, according to data from the Maryland Hospital Association. Ultimately, Olszewski said, it’s an investment that would “more than pay for itself.”

“You’re going to see individuals who are able to maybe buy a house or a more expensive house, and they’ll pay more in property taxes,” he said. “You’ll see individuals who are earning more and will be paying more in income taxes.”

Lawmakers agreed with him and other supporters of the program. The legislation now awaits Gov. Wes Moore’s signature to take effect in June.

Even though St. Joe’s has a relatively low turnover rate, as many as 1 in 4 nursing positions are vacant in some departments, said Nicole Beeson, the hospital’s senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. The Pathways program has “absolutely” expanded the medical center’s workforce pipeline, Beeson said, and it is helping it attract diverse employees so its staff represents the community it serves.

To support students participating in the program, St. Joseph created a new staff position to provide full-time mentorship and coaching to them, Beeson said. The hospital also provides the students with paid study time, allowing them to carve out a few hours during shifts for classwork.

Helping with the Pathways program has been a “joy project” for her, Beeson said. She’s a graduate from a nursing program at Baltimore County’s community college herself. Taking weekend and evening classes, she was able to care for her three young children while earning her degree — which ultimately transformed her family’s life, she said. Now, one of her children is a nurse and another is a physical therapist.

“When you go into a caring profession, you think you’re going there to care for other people,” she said, “and you realize that in caring for others, it’s really restorative for the caregiver.”