About Healthcare Pathway Advocates
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Healthcare Pathway Advocates is a welcoming California nonprofit, fiscally sponsored by Community Initiatives, dedicated to opening doors for high school students across the Mother Lode, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada regions. We believe every young person deserves a bright future close to home. By teaming up with trusted industry leaders and rural school districts, we deliver flexible online coursework that allows students in small foothill and valley towns to train from home, earn valuable certifications, and step confidently into paid healthcare internships, all at no cost to the student or families.
Mariposa County Unified School District
Amador County Unified School District
Patterson Joint Unified School District
Calaveras Unified School District
Healthcare Pathway Advocates emerged from the pioneering work of Health Science Career Pathway Advocates,
An ambitious initiative launched in 2019 under the leadership of Paul De Baldo and Rick Damelio. Established to address the critical healthcare workforce gap in California's Mother Lode Region, the organization has grown through the dedication of school and business leaders committed to transformative change. Executive Leader Irene Espinoza now carries that mission forward as Healthcare Pathway Advocates, continuing the school district partnerships built under that program while expanding online training and paid internships across the Mother Lode, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada regions.
Guiding the mission forward:
Executive Leader Irene Espinoza now leads Healthcare Pathway Advocates,
At the heart of HPA is the visionary leadership of Executive Leader Irene Espinoza, who brings more than twenty years of dedicated workforce development experience to our community. With a deep-rooted passion for empowering students and strengthening rural healthcare, Irene champions the mission to bridge the gap between education and meaningful employment, ensuring every young person has the guidance and resources they need to thrive.
That mission is fiercely supported by our board, a collaborative network bringing together seasoned healthcare executives, career technical education directors, workforce specialists, and student services professionals from across the region. United by a shared commitment to student success, our founders and board members combine decades of diverse expertise to shape innovative, equitable pathways from the classroom to a rewarding career. Behind every life-changing opportunity we offer is a team of passionate leaders who believe deeply in the potential of our students. We invite you to meet our board, our founders, and our team members to learn more about the dedicated professionals who are shaping the future of rural healthcare.
Helping generate health science-trained professionals
HPA launched with $600,000 in founding grant support, including $500,000 from the Centene Foundation and $100,000 from Health Net. That funding is what makes the program free for students, covering coursework, certification fees, and college navigation. As a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, every dollar goes toward putting students on a path into healthcare.
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We serve students across California's Mother Lode, San Joaquin Valley, and Sierra Nevada regions, in partnership with Amador County Unified, Calaveras Unified, Mariposa County Unified, and Patterson Joint Unified school districts. Because our coursework is delivered online, students in every partner district can begin training from home. Paid internship placements are active in the Patterson and Bret Harte communities today, and new sites open as partnerships with healthcare employers grow. See our full service area on our Cities We Serve page.
If you are a high school student, start with the pre-assessment. It takes a few minutes, there is no cost, and it determines your fit for both paid internships and scholarships. Students across all the communities we serve are welcome to apply. If you are an educator, a healthcare employer, or someone who wants to help open a door for a rural student, we would like to hear from you.