Magdalena Rodriguez speaks with Sandra Siepak about VC Heal.
Overview of the VC Heal Program
The Ventura County Heal (VC Heal) Healthcare Careers program is an initiative led by the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County in partnership with Career Team. It serves as a pipeline to train, certify, and employ individuals in the healthcare sector. The program was created in response to the 2017–2018 Southern California wildfires, which resulted in lost homes, jobs, and a local hospital.
Funded by a Community Development Block Grant for disaster recovery, it aims to fill the high demand for healthcare workers in the region, where there are approximately 5,000 job openings annually.
Eligibility and Program Structure
The program is entirely free of cost for participants. To qualify, applicants must be:
- At least 18 years old
- A high school graduate or equivalent
- A resident of Ventura County
- Authorized to work in the United States
Because it is a no-cost program, participants are expected to demonstrate high dedication to the training, coursework, and testing. Training lengths vary depending on the chosen career path, ranging from short six-week courses (such as Certified Nursing Assistant) to longer 12-week programs (such as Alcohol and Drug Counseling). Other mid-level and entry-level career paths include medical assistants, front/back office staff, billing and coding specialists, pharmacy technicians, and phlebotomy technicians.
Support Systems and Timeline
Participants receive robust support throughout their journey. They immediately work with a Career Navigator to enroll and select a training path, a Life Coach to guide them through personal development, and a Business Service Representative toward the end of the program to handle job placement and employment needs.
After completing training, participants take their respective state certification exams and complete an externship before entering the workforce.
Because this is a limited-run grant program, it is scheduled to end in June of the upcoming year, with an overall goal of enrolling and certifying 250 individuals.
The WOW Bus (Workforce on Wheels)
A major milestone of the funding is the “WOW Bus,” a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge mobile classroom and training lab. The exterior features a prominent QR code linking directly to the workforce website.
It travels weekly to local libraries, job fairs, and remote areas of the county to eliminate transportation barriers for residents who cannot easily visit a physical office.
The bus operates as a walk-in service equipped with computers and workstations where a Career Navigator can help residents look for jobs, practice mock interviews using the “Career Edge” platform, and enroll directly in training programs. The WOW bus will continue operating even after the specific VC Heal grant concludes.
Additional Workforce Development Programs
The Workforce Development Board of Ventura County—which recently won a nationwide trailblazing award ranking number one out of 570 boards—offers several other programs outside of VC Heal. These include VC Works and NextGen (a program tailored for youth aged 16 to 24).
TV broadcast week beginning 05/31/26
Producer: George Alger
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