LBCC Builds Public Health Workforce
By Dianne Anderson
From mental-health struggles, rising overdoses, chronic disease and barriers to basic health care, some communities are taking the hit from all sides, but local leaders are looking to build up a new generation of public and community-health workers.
They’ll meet residents where the healthcare system falls short.
For students who may not have an obvious path into the field, a new fellowship is designed to provide support beyond the classroom.
“The 9-month California Youth Leadership Corps (CYLC) Fellowship provides students with the necessary academic, financial, counseling, wraparound, leadership development, and career readiness supports to complete their academic and professional programs,” said Gita E. Runkle, MBA, interim vice president of Workforce & Economic Development at Long Beach City College.
She said more than 80% of the current CYLC Fellows are eligible for financial aid. Many are first-generation college students who grew up in under-resourced communities similar to those they hope to serve.
This year, 30 LBCC students ages 18 to 24 are expected to complete the nine-month fellowship, running from Sept. 14 through June 30. Students receive paid, hands-on training while working toward an LBCC Health Education and Promotion Certificate of Achievement.
Fellows can also receive up to $1,100 a month in stipends tied to completing 40 hours a month at their placement site, along with a $5,000 scholarship requiring a 2.0 GPA, six units per semester, and enrollment in a related credential program.
Among the local nonprofits, LBCC is also working with 19 host organizations, including Healthcare Integrated Services, Long Beach Forward, Our Generation Cares, and Birth Workers of Color. In the program, students will gain practical experience connecting residents with healthcare services, delivering groceries to people facing food insecurity, and coordinating public-health events.
Students can also get a head start while still in high school. Public Health faculty teach courses in local high schools, giving students a chance to start, and possibly complete, the Health Education and Promotion Certificate before graduation.
Led by faculty member Frank Henry-Ala, LBCC’s Public Health Program gives students multiple ways to build workforce-relevant credentials. Runkle said its Health Education and Promotion and Community Health Worker certificates stack directly into the Public Health Associate Degree for Transfer.
For students aiming at nursing or diagnostic medical imaging, the Community Health Worker Certificate offers another option. Runkle said it prepares students for entry into the workforce while giving them experience as they continue preparing for their next educational or career step.
On Sept. 16, LBCC will also bring together community organizations, public-health professionals, government representatives, researchers and students for “Cultivating the Public Health Equity Ecosystem,” a racial and public-health equity symposium.
In partnership with the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, the symposium will cover racial and health equity and the future of the public-health workforce.
“All students who have successfully completed the program earned their Health Education and Promotion Certificate of Achievement, and nine students have secured part- or full-time employment in the field of study,” Runkle said.
Enrollment for the current CYLC fellowship cohort has closed, but LBCC is exploring similar future programming through its Public Health Scholars Program.
LBCC’s approach also comes at a time when California continues to grapple with persistent health disparities and questions about who is being prepared to address the problem.
In a California Black Health Network impact report, “4 Decades of Advancing Health Equity in California,” the organization documents its work from health-literacy and advocacy programs to policy efforts and healthcare enrollment.
Over four decades, CBHN reports it has reached more than 106,000 people through convenings, conferences, webinars and forums, while building more than 95 organizational partnerships and supporting more than 100 legislative bills.
But now, their work is more critical following passage of H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which CBHN says could make existing disparities worse through cuts to safety-net programs. The organization estimates that 3.4 million Californians could lose coverage through Medicaid cuts, work requirements and more frequent eligibility redeterminations, while CalFresh faces $187 billion in cuts over the next decade.
About one million Black Californians rely on Medi-Cal to access preventive care, including mammograms, prenatal visits, diabetes management and mental-health services, according to CBHN.
In response, its “How Do I…” campaign focuses on helping Black Californians understand their patient rights, communicate with healthcare providers, navigate the system and advocate for themselves and their loved ones.
While research commissioned by the California Health Care Foundation finds that Black Californians are already proactive about their health, getting insurance, seeking screenings and preparing for doctor visits, they want the healthcare system to meet them halfway.
“Now, more than ever, it is imperative that we engage in advocacy/policy initiatives and programs that focus on addressing inequities at the individual, community, and system level to close the gap in health disparities and improve the life expectancy of Black Californians,” said Rhonda M. Smith, executive director of CBHN.
For more information:
On the LBCC Racial and Public Health Equity Symposium, see:
To view the CBHN impact report, visit www.yourcbhn.org/impact-report-2025.
Other resources also around town, see the Cayenne Wellness Center and Children’s Foundation’s 20th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Educational Summit runs Sept. 16–19 at the Marriott Long Beach Downtown. To register online, visit cayennewellness.org/scd-educational-summit-2026
