Page 28 - BusinessWest June 10, 2024

A Local Voice in Washington
Baystate NP Testifies on Boosting Minority Healthcare Providers
On May 2, Jaines Andrades, a nurse practitioner at Baystate Medical Center in the Trauma
and Surgery unit, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health- care, Education, Labor, and Pen- sions (HELP) about ways to minimize the shortage of minority healthcare providers.
Andrades was invited to testify by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana based on her now-famous story of climbing the ranks in her healthcare career. Fea- tured on CNN, Good Morning America, People magazine, and more, she first caught national attention in 2020 when she posted a photo of each of her hos- pital badges to social media, showing her progression from custodian to reg- istered nurse to nurse practitioner, all in the same hospital.
Following a screening process
with representatives of the bipartisan committee members, the Chicopee resident was invited to be part of the panel, which included three other healthcare professionals, to help sena- tors learn about ways to decrease bar- riers between minority students.
“Making students
at all schools, most especially those in underserved areas, aware of healthcare as an attainable career opportunity would go far, letting these students know it is within their reach and that there are resources available to them as they embark on the journey to higher education.”
Jaines Andrades says scholarship opportunities and ways to access funding need to be made more available to minority students — and more community-college programs should be tuition-free.
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