CVS Caremark, Hispanic Heritage Foundation partner to inspire future Latino healthcare leaders
WOONSOCKET, R.I., and WASHINGTON — CVS Caremark has partnered with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to identify, inspire and prepare young Latinos to join healthcare fields through a new healthcare category of the HHF Youth Awards program.
This fall and winter, CVS Caremark and HHF will recognize more than 30 high school seniors of Latino descent for their academic performance, community service and interest in pursuing a career in health care. The recipients, three from each of 10 regions across the country, will receive educational grants from CVS Caremark, as well as exposure to experts in healthcare fields, and mentoring, training and internship opportunities as they head off to college.
"CVS Caremark is committed to providing opportunities for career development and growth, and we believe that increasing the number of young Latinos pursuing traditional and nontraditional healthcare careers is an important part of fulfilling that commitment," stated David Casey, VP workforce strategies and chief diversity officer at CVS Caremark. "We are honored to be partnering with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, a nationally respected leader, to develop and support long-term strategies to improve opportunities for the Latino community."
The Youth awardees are selected from more than 10,000 applicants. In addition to the health care category, Youth awardees are honored in business, math and engineering, education and community service. The 13th Annual Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards Regional Ceremonies kicked off on Thursday in Houston, and through the rest of the year also will take place in New York City; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Miami; Denver; Phoenix; Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Calif.; and Dallas. One recipient will be selected in each of the categories from the pool of regional recipients and flown to Washington, D.C., for the National Youth Awards Ceremony featuring celebrities and members of Congress.
After receiving the awards, students also are funneled into HHF's leadership cycle, which includes the Latinos On Fast Track, providing leadership training and workforce development in various fields including health care. The students also are featured in public awareness campaigns to provide inspiration to other youth.