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High school healthcare graduates

Healthcare Pathway Advocates
Community Non-Profit

Help support Healthcare Pathway Advocates

Pre-Assessment Form and Merit Scholarship/ Internship Application

Industry Needs and Partnership Survey

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100% Free Healthcare Training, Online Classes, and Paid Internships for Rural Students Across the Mother Lode and San Joaquin Valley 

Medical student graduate
Health Net
Calaveras Community Foundation
San Joaquin A+
MACT Health Board Inc.

Our Trusted Partners

California Healthcare Foundation
Centene Foundation
Dignity Health

Helping Generate Health Science-Trained Professionals

At Healthcare Pathway Advocates, we believe a student's zip code should never dictate their potential. We work with four rural school districts across California's Mother Lode, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada regions, delivering online healthcare training and paid internships through our partnerships with industry leaders so students can earn a certification and step into a paid internship without leaving home. Best of all, every resource, training session, and opportunity is 100% cost-free to our students and families

Discover Your Pathway

Discover Your Pathway

Healthcare Pathway Advocates Logo

12 Foothill High Schools

80+ Paid Internships

For those driven by empathy and a desire to make a difference, the journey begins here. This pathway is great for students who love helping others and see themselves working with doctors and nurses in the future. Students gain hands-on experience that further develops their passion and skills for a career in the medical field. 

Apply here:

Making Real-World Impact in Foothill Communities
 

Career Ready Pathways

Our partner high schools offer outstanding Health Pathway Programs that blend hands-on learning, mentorship, and dual enrollment opportunities, preparing students for immediate employment and ongoing educational success

Image by Faustina Okeke

Collaborative Ecosystem

We foster dynamic, mutually beneficial relationships between schools and healthcare employers. By working together, we ensure that students receive top-tier training while local healthcare organizations help shape and benefit from a skilled, reliable workforce pipeline.​

Students learning Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Real World Experience

Through our strong partnerships with local healthcare providers, students gain access to paid internships and immersive job shadowing, allowing seniors to build essential skills, earn industry-recognized credentials, and make valuable connections.

EMT's bringing a patient into the hospital

Focusing on High Demand Careers

Our programs spotlight the fastest-growing allied health roles, giving students a clear view of in-demand career opportunities and empowering them to make informed decisions for their future.

Dentist and dentist assistant Treating a patient

​Join us as we invest in local talent


Strengthen our communities and create a healthier future for everyone in the Mother Lode Region. Together, we’re not just filling jobs; we’re launching meaningful careers and transforming lives.

Our Founders

HPA LOGO

Our team is comprised of dedicated leaders who established the vision

and foundation of Healthcare Pathway Advocates. 

Irene Espinoza

Irene Espinoza 

 

Founder, CEO, Healthcare Pathway Advocates, Non-Profit Organization

Rick J. Damelio

Rick J. Damelio, Ed.D

 

Retired Educator

Health Science Career Pathway Advocates, Founder

Paul De Baldo

Paul De Baldo, MBA

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 Retired Business and Market Developer, Health Science Career Pathway Advocates, Founder

Board Members

Healthcare Advocates Logo

Our Board of Directors serves as the strategic backbone of our organization, providing the oversight and guidance necessary to fulfill our mission. 

Ana Rowe

Ana Rowe

Bilingual Human Resources Administration and Operations

Michele Theisen

Michele Theisen

Workforce Development, Human Resources, and Accounting

Doug Archer

Doug Archer

President & CEO/Dignity Health Mark Twain Medical Center​

Lonnie Wills

Lonnie Mills

RN MSN CDP CIHC
Experiential Learning Expert

Kimberly M. Brinkman

Kimberly M. Brinkman

Director, Career Technical Education, Patterson Unified School District 

Kristi Galapon

Kristi Galapon

 Coordinator and Staff Services Analyst 

Victoria Arelo

Victoria Arellano 
 Coordinator at Mercy Medical Center, Merced – Dignity Health, part of Common Spirit Health

EMT in Ambulance

 Join us in building the next generation of healthcare professionals, right here, at home.

The Core Goals of
Healthcare Pathway Advocates:

Giving Heart

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  • Expand Career Access: Provide all students with the opportunity to thrive in meaningful healthcare careers, ensuring that a student's zip code does not dictate their potential.

  • Strengthen the Healthcare Workforce: Address urgent staffing shortages by developing a skilled pipeline of allied health professionals for rural and underserved communities in the Mother Lode Region.

  • Build Collaborative Networks: Create a robust ecosystem that brings together high schools, colleges, and healthcare providers to bridge the gap between classroom learning and career success.

  • Equip Students for Success: Provide students with comprehensive instruction, hands-on learning, mentorship, and paid internships to gain the academic knowledge and technical skills needed for employment or further education.

  • Provide Wraparound Support: Offer seamless transitions from high school to college or the workforce, empowering students to become leaders within their communities.

Graduate
Books/ supplies
Giving Heart

Thank You

Giving Heart
Books/ supplies
Graduate
Hands on top of another in support

   Thank you, Scott Nanik, former Calaveras County Superintendent, and Mark Campbell, former Calaveras Unified School District Superintendent, for allowing us the opportunity to work with their staff to build the outstanding model health pathway program at Calaveras High School. Special thanks to Dave Duggan, Media Director of Bret Harte School District, for his invaluable assistance and support. We also extend our gratitude to Suzanne Butler, Lead Teacher, and her teaching partner for their contributions. Stephanie Attaway for building a program that will be a 4-year program starting with the 2023/24 school year. We also want to thank Terri Tanner, former  HS Counselor, for her support of the program, and Kevin Hesser for the work he helped with writing grants and helping us find the needed resources to support the program.

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