Assisting in the Continuation of Training

 

Flint Odyssey House secured a FY25 Cycle 1 Going PRO Talent Fund Award of $146,600.00, of which they were able to utilize $108,600. This award allowed Flint Odyssey House to continue to train its 13 U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) Registered Community Health Worker Apprentices. The first program in the State of Michigan for Community Health Workers! The commitment of Flint Odyssey House to continually invest in growing its staff into a skilled and sustainable healthcare workforce has been nothing short of amazing. Flint Odyssey House strives for whole-person integrated care, taking their level of caring to new heights.  But that caring is not only for clients, it includes their staff’s well-being as well.  Ensuring that Flint Odyssey House is by far an employer of choice! 

 

Along with the continuation of training the state’s first Community Health Worker apprentices, Flint Odyssey House was able to provide necessary training to incumbent staff. This training allows them to learn and grow in order to provide the method of whole-person integrated care.  The award also allowed them to train a total of 17 newly hired staff, using the on-the-job portion of the Going PRO Talent Fund.

Trainings included the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Health Equity Grounded Leadership for new and incumbent staff, as well as those apprentices.

As a result of training, the staff feel valued and able to provide clients with whole-person integrated care. The Community Health Worker Apprentices emerged as trusted advocates, helping improve health outcomes by connecting clients to essential community resources and services.

This amount of training and investment in their staff proves their commitment to and care for their staff and clients. “It has been a complete pleasure to work with Dr. Ronnie Tyson and Rochell Harper-Shelton at Flint Odyssey House! Their commitment and dedication to their staff and clients come across in everything they say and do.” – Cindy Thornthwaite, Director of Business Services at GST Michigan Works!

The lasting benefit they provide to their staff will serve this community for decades to come!

“The implementation of the Community Health Worker Apprenticeship program did more than fill gaps among the organization and the community.   It allowed Flint Odyssey House to build a sustainable, high-skilled talent pipeline that strengthens our workforce, reduces turnover, and secures our competitive advantage for years to come, as is any organization’s goal.”  – Rochell Harper Shelton, Executive Coordinator – Human Resources, Flint Odyssey House.