HCA Florida Healthcare supports Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
Orlando, Fla. — HCA Florida Healthcare is announcing its partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida’s Pathways to Success initiative to help inspire young people to consider healthcare careers.
Just before the holiday season, HCA Florida Healthcare donated $10,000 to support the initiative, which educates teens about healthcare careers through hands-on exploration and preparation. In addition, physicians and colleagues from HCA Florida Healthcare, Florida’s largest healthcare provider, hosted Pathways to Success events at Boys & Girls Clubs throughout the region, providing information on the wide variety of healthcare career opportunities.
“We are grateful to HCA Florida Healthcare for its generous gift of time in addition to an incredible financial commitment,” said Alicia Hodge, senior development officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida. “Professionals coming to our clubs and sharing their life experience as well as their career experience provide a real benefit for our kids. One of our teens who had the opportunity to work with a respiratory therapist on a baby mannequin using real equipment told me afterward this is something she may want to pursue as a career.”
Through the Pathways to Success program, participants met HCA Florida Healthcare doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, X-ray technicians, facility maintenance and accounting professionals. This engagement helps to strengthen career readiness in Central Florida by inspiring young minds through the exploration of diverse roles within the healthcare field.
“I think it is great to get kids started thinking about their future,” said Elliott Lovett, controller, HCA Florida Poinciana Hospital, one of the event volunteers. “If I had the opportunity to participate in a program like this, I may have found what my passion was a little sooner or realized what I needed to be looking for.”
Another volunteer, Oviedo Medical Center Imaging and Cardiac Services Manager Sarah Weiss, agreed. "Teaching kids about a variety of career options is like giving them a key to unlock a world of possibilities and help them shape their own future," she said.
One Boys & Girls Club member summarized the impact of learning from professionals about their career paths and the rewarding experiences of working in healthcare. “Speaking with healthcare professionals benefits me because it lets me get an insight into what they do,” said Nikol Beoto, a high school student who participated in Pathways to Success. “It could also inspire another child so they know what they want to do when they get older.”