Baton Rouge, LA, April 25, 2024—Today, CVS Health® (NYSE: CVS) showed off its new plan: a top-tier job teaching and area help center in Baton Rouge. This one-of-a-kind setup is smartly placed to break down the barriers that keep folks from getting jobs and Health care there.

Located at 5353 Essen Lane, the site will be home to the Workforce Innovation & Talent Center (WITC), ready to give full job skills training. The space will have a mock-up store and a make-believe pharmacy area, making for a deep dive into learning by doing. Also, the center will make it possible for live, hands-on work learning at CVS Pharmacy sites close by, making a link between learning stuff in books and using it for real. It will include a new Community Resource Center (CRC), supported by Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, a CVS Health company. On top of that, here are some of the services that CRC provides to the public, Aetna Medicaid members, and workforce program participants: Onsite health needs assessment, onsite health education, assistance in health benefit navigation, access to computers and state-of-the-art teleconferencing, CPR and first-aid training, and access to local Network of Care Providers.

The joint work between WITC/CRC will have a team set just for it with experts in job skills and guides from CVS Health, Aetna, and groups in the area. This new project does more than just bring two key local help systems together; it also makes a model for mixing job teaching with health care, and in doing so, it really tackles things that stop people from getting jobs.

Jess Hall, CEO of Aetna Better Health of Louisiana, a CVS Health company, added, “We recognize a powerful relationship between work that is sustainable and health with human services. With the combined resources of CVS Health and Aetna, and our network of community partners, we are well-positioned to help the people of Baton Rouge access the career skills training, health, and wellness services they need to remove barriers to employment while staying healthy and motivated to ultimately succeed in their career.”

Most importantly, the efforts to expand access include an employment and career training program, according to a Louisiana Department of Health report.

I fully understand the power that public-private partnerships create in this area for positive change and opportunity in our community. “The partnership of Big Buddy Baton Rouge with CVS Health through the Mayor’s Youth Workforce Experience (MYWE) further exemplifies that commitment. It is a partnership that provides invaluable workforce development environments and hands-on job training to our future workforce,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “Working together, we can assure our county residents of effective use of their skills and resources to compete well in the challenging job market today. “It will be a true win-win relationship for all, and it will breathe new life into our local economy while building a brighter future for Baton Rouge.”

This summer, the externship program will run through CVS Pharmacy locations throughout Baton Rouge, which will play host to the summer externs enrolled in the MYWE program. In partnership with Big Buddy to identify MYWE talent, CVS Health has opened opportunities for over 50 Baton Rouge high school students to access quality after-school and summer workforce experiences.

“Working at CVS has really helped to strengthen my communication skills. Before the externship, I used to be shy, but I have come to realize that I am an extrovert” said MYWE student A’amya Johnson (16-year-old), as he got in 2023 summer work-study. A’amya is now at CVS Pharmacy for some hours as a store helper. “I really enjoy all parts of my work, most of all, chatting with the folks who shop. This chance, the one with the training, made me sure I want to go for a job in taking care of people’s health.”

Truly, it’s where health care, work, and learning grow that you see a big effect: over 1,150 US places improved from job roads made by CVS Health’s work plans over time. In 2023, the firm helped over 1,400 people get real jobs. This was done by working together with groups from the national, state, and city levels and with help from nonprofits, faith groups, and skill training centers.

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