Healthcare workforce nonprofit to provide more than $100,000 in equipment and supplies to support education and training programs at nine public school systems, including Fairfax County
Claude Moore Opportunities today announced that Fairfax County Public Schools will receive approximately $18,000 worth of healthcare training equipment as part of the nonprofit’s first “Healthcare for the Holidays” campaign to provide healthcare workforce training programs around Virginia with cutting edge tools and supplies to train the next generation of healthcare workers. In total, more than $100,000 in training and educational equipment will be delivered to nine public school systems around the state, including Fairfax, to prepare Virginians for healthcare careers in fields ranging from home health for seniors, to sports medicine, to lab testing and analysis.
“Virginians need more pathways into good paying careers and the Commonwealth desperately needs more healthcare workers to meet the needs of our citizens,” said Dr. Bill Hazel, CEO of Claude Moore Opportunities. “At Claude Moore we’re working every day to show more Virginia students the incredible opportunities that are available to them in healthcare. By giving Virginia students hands-on experience with the latest equipment, we hope to spark an interest that leads to a long and fulfilling career in the health sciences and greater access to quality care.”
“The generous gift from Claude Moore Opportunities will enable FCPS to purchase six examination tables, significantly enhancing the Medical Assistant program,” said Roberta Pinheiro Janik, STEAM Educational Specialist at Fairfax County Public Schools. “These tables will provide students with a hands-on, realistic learning environment, simulating the clinical settings where they will conduct patient assessments, take vital signs, and assist with examinations. By integrating this equipment into the classroom from the start of the program, students will gain valuable practical experience that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Our Medical Assisting instructors will be excited to incorporate this industry-aligned resource, ensuring students are healthcare career ready!”
In addition to Fairfax County Public Schools, recipients of equipment and supplies through Claude Moore’s Healthcare for the Holidays include Pulaski County Public Schools, Rockbridge County Public Schools, Roanoke County Public Schools, Shenandoah County Public Schools, Clarke County Public Schools, Frederick County Public Schools, Warren County Public Schools, and the Wise County Technical Center. These school systems’ career and technical education programs will receive equipment and supplies ranging from patient simulators to anatomical models and more.
According to a comprehensive 2023 study for the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, 102 of Virginia’s 133 localities are federally designated “Health Professional Shortage Areas” and 93 localities are “Mental Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas,” meaning about one-third of Virginians live in a community without enough primary and behavioral healthcare providers.
Claude Moore Opportunities is working towards the dual goals of creating more pathways into healthcare careers, particularly for young people, and expanding the pool of trained, skilled, and credentialed healthcare workers to meet the needs of a growing Commonwealth.
About Claude Moore Opportunities
Launched in 2024, Claude Moore Opportunities is a new 501(c)3 public nonprofit organization that will raise and distribute philanthropic funds to support regional and collaborative efforts to expand Virginia’s healthcare workforce and create family-sustaining career opportunities. The independent organization is led by CEO Dr. Bill Hazel, Jr., former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and governed by an executive board of notable civic, philanthropic, and healthcare leaders from around Virginia. Claude Moore Opportunities is building on the 20 years of healthcare workforce development efforts by the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, which has invested more than $24 million to enable thousands of Virginians to receive healthcare workforce training and credentials through strategic partnerships with public school systems around the state, the Virginia Community College System, George Mason University, INOVA Health System, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, among others.
