A local agency that focuses on vocational education and training received a financial boost on Thursday for its work on community projects.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle presented OIC Philadelphia with a check totaling $575,000 that will help a myriad of projects the non profit runs from food insecurity to clean energy.
“I can fight for and win grants, mostly for non profits, to bring home and make and put it to work,” Boyle said. “I was proud to receive the application from OIC. With this check, we have now reached a milestone and now means I’ve been able to surpass the 30 million mark of money that I brought back from Washington.”
OIC projects that as the 2024-2025 fiscal year concludes, it will have supported over 1,000 participants, beating out its most recent fiscal year serving over 800 individuals.
“Advocating for federal funding for healthcare employee training is essential to promoting equity and providing individuals with the necessary job skills to succeed in the workforce,” Boyle said. “OIC has proven time and again that by investing in comprehensive training programs, we ensure that healthcare workers, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to develop the expertise required to deliver high-quality care and improve health outcomes in their communities.”
All of the students from OIC’s summer phlebotomy cohorts have graduated and have successfully entered the workforce.
“We know in this community the social determinants of health outcomes are insurmountable,” said CEO of OIC Sheila Ireland. “We stand at the intersection of social justice and workforce development, so thank you for trusting and being part of this program and helping a huge community that we serve.”
Keisha Green, an OIC graduate, who has been working at Clare Medical Group, said the course transformed her personal and professional life.
OIC is taking a holistic approach to providing mental health support. According to its annual report, Black male teenagers in Philadelphia are 60% more likely to commit suicide than the overall city rate. The factors can be attributed to the pandemic exacerbating disparities and stressors. OIC is collaborating with Jewish Family and Children’s Services to launch mental health services with a full-time therapist free of charge to patients.
“We’re closing in on a million [in funding] just for behavioral health,” Ireland said. “That allows us to address what’s going on in our community, because the social determinants of health, it’s insane what goes on as a result of it. And we stand at the intersection of social justice and workforce development, you got to understand how important that is in this community.”
