Coordinated Care and SuitUp Competition Lets Students Dive Into Hands-On Professional Experience

Date: 11/09/23

Coordinated Care hosted 35 students from Seattle’s Middle College High School last week in Tacoma to help increase student's career readiness and leadership skills.

As part of the half-day business competition, 35 freshman and sophomores were divided into five teams and asked to create a teen-friendly app for Coordinated Care that supports students in underserved communities struggling to find answers to important healthcare questions and access to care.

Coordinated Care employees coached the teens on product development, strategy, marketing and design. They prepped the students on how to pitch their ideas to a panel of three judges from Coordinated Care's executive leadership team. The winning app would provide health literacy and other resources including telehealth that addresses mental and physical health. The judges loved the thoughtfulness about including access for deaf and blind teens, as well as cultural and linguistically-appropriate content. Each student on the winning team received a $25 gift card along with a certificate recognizing their accomplishment from SuitUp.

SuitUp connects companies like Coordinated Care and students to prepare them for life beyond the classroom. Middle College High School, in the Seattle Public School District, is helping students earn both high school and college credits through the Running Start program. The school's curriculum emphasizes career pathways giving students the opportunity to work with local businesses in their community, making it a great partnership for SuitUp and Coordinated Care. This SuitUp competition provided students with a glimpse of what it would be like to work at Coordinated Care and within the healthcare industry one day.

The goal of the SuitUp program aligns with Coordinated Care's commitment to expose students to career experiences while still in high school to expand students' idea of their potential career pathways and stretch their knowledge about vital employability skills, such as teamwork, problem solving and persistence.

In addition to gaining real-life business experience and practical understanding of the creativity of the product development process, the Middle College High School students were able to work on an app that can help them, their peers and their communities.

"The SuitUp community aims to provide equal opportunities for all students to thrive in the corporate world. Many young individuals possess the ambition and determination to succeed, but lack the necessary resources and guidance to advance," stated Hananatu Tunis, Sr. Program Manager. "SuitUp steps in to offer students the chance to explore different career pathways and opportunities, with the goal of preparing and empowering them to become future executives."

While there has been some progress, Washington like the rest of the U.S. healthcare profession shows a lack of representation of people from historically underrepresented groups and those who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

"This disparity highlights the need for greater representation and inclusivity in the medical field to ensure healthcare providers better reflect and understand the experiences and healthcare needs of all individuals," said Coordinated Care's president and CEO, Beth Johnson.

"As a managed care organization in Washington, Coordinated Care is committed to supporting students from historically underrepresented groups and those from low-income families who may have less personal exposure to entrepreneurial careers and role models. We hope some youths from Middle College High School will consider careers in healthcare and become part of the solution to address health inequities, which leads to healthier communities."

Coordinated Care’s community giving efforts focus on capacity building, addressing healthcare inequities in underrepresented populations, and social drivers of health like food insecurity, transportation, housing, and education, job training, and career readiness. For more information about how Coordinated Care is investing in solutions across Washington, visit CoordinatedCarehealth.com/about-us/community.