so often, adult literacy flies under the radar.

People don't think about it.

it can be a way for them to just keep moving forward doesn't matter where it came from.

literacy allows somebody the opportunity to flourish in the community.

And I think Calwell believes in that.

That's why, we're a partner in this work.

We need more health care workers.

And so we're solving a problem by, on so many levels, supporting folks getting in there.

I am the general medicine student in my country.

this is opportunity to come to United State and continue my education.

many people are finding these beautiful way these, amazing way to be in contac with, health care system again.

Help people here help our patients.

Health care workers are in high demand across the country, and Michigan is no exception.

With the Michigan Health and Hospital Association reporting 23,000 open positions in its 2025 review.

Coral Health is the larges health care system in Michigan.

It boasts around 64,000 plus workers and serve more than 1.2 million patients.

So we are planning, well, for those gaps.

But at the same time, we can have some shortages which cause over time, it can cause to burnout.

So we have higher turnover.

And We have, and many large corporations have a very robust wa of thinking about competencies.

we see a skills, gap, like there's not enough employees in the state of Michigan for the needs, especially in health care that we have, I think it's our job as leaders to think about how to think, how to look at that differently, with more creative lens.

We have this program that we've had in the state of Michigan on it's called, Integrated Education and Training, and it's a recognitio that a lot of adults, struggle to get short term trades and training certifications because they need a little suppor in adult foundational education.

It's estimated that ove 50% of Michiganders read below.

Ninth grad and almost a third read below.

Fourth grade in English.

So those supports ar really needed for most adults.

We had also done some contextualize ESL for frontline workers at Coral Health.

So togethe we had kind of conceived that, you know, what if we removed not only English as a barrier to this training, but employment as well.

What if folks became employees and they got paid and half of their time they would be getting this trainin and it would be contextualized to improving their language around it.

The Literac Center of West Michigan launched its collaborative pipeline program, Michigan Impact, with Coral Health in 2023, connecting immigrant and English learning adults to high demand careers in healt care through statewide grants.

It combines paid entry leve employment, English instruction, and credential training in hopes of building the health care workforce of tomorrow.

So can we talk about the payment that people get when they come in here.

Because for a lot of folks practicing English proficiency is something they do after they put the kids to bed and after they have a hard day's work.

This really kin of disintegrates some barriers.

The resourc that's small is not just money.

It's time.

And I think all of us as adults, we can relate to that.

Like pursuing your own education really almost feels like a luxury once you are in that role of adulting.

We design our programs to actually meet adults where they're at in their adult lives.

Both in location and in content.

So it's not an afterthought.

It's not an extra project.

It's not something they need to reserve more bandwidth in their life.

And with the employment piece, it's like, how can they get paid to.

we're so moved that people who are so loving and so mission centered on doing this work want to do that work.

And it's her and it's a high needs position.

the other part of it is that we understood, what a huge talent pool there was with so many of the immigrants and refugees we are working with.

You know, just anecdotally, just we meet people again and again that, oh, I was a nurse in my hom country, a doctor, radiologist.

And so we knew this all existed.

For women like Tabassum Ahmadi.

The program means a right to education and an opportunity to go after her dream I am the general medicine student in my country.

I study in Afghanistan.

Just, for, four years.

and also I am earnin the certificate of ultrasound.

And to also, I worked in a hospital in my country almost three years.

But I am not.

And finished my, study in there because when Taliban came to my country and came to power they do not allow two girls to go to university to go to school and close at the doors, and do not allow to education for girls.

Yeah.

Literacy center is the center that you can build the future India.

And you can, grow your future India.

I want to improve my English at the first and continue my education.

And also, continue to work, to find the best work and best job to health care.

It's my dream to work and this and to healthcare and to help it to patient.

It's give me happiness like this.

It's.

I feel very good to talk with the patient and solve the problem of the patient.

there any, areas wher when you first came to the U.S., it was like, whoa, what's happening?

Everything's new.

And this is kind of hard.

When I come to United, is it.

It's new.

All of the communities change.

It's not same of my own country and India.

You.

You should speak English.

When I come from is so difficult to speak to another person and solve our problem.

Afte when I come to literacy center.

Day to day.

My English is go to high and now I can communicate to it and the work.

And the other person in the hospital we can talk with the patient What does it mean to you.

Can I ask just being a woma and, and going after this field, which is something tha the Taliban obviously took away the possibility of when they came to power.

I'm in the woman of Afghanistan.

That this is opportunity to come to United State and continue my education.

But in my country I have a lot of in my classmates in here, it's not allowed to continue education.

This is my best opportunity to community, to state and to follow my dreams.

I hope that, the girls of my country to continue his education and to build a better future for all girls of my country.

for me and for a lot of the team and boar and the learners that we serve, the United States represents an opportunity to pursue dreams and, a future for your family that the current context at home is not allowing for.

And Tablo, is that story.

It's that American story.

And, it's really gratifying to represent that legacy and aspect of the American dream and to support remarkable people like Tavo, who have so many assets and make our country better.

while people like m come with years of experience.

Others, like Jackson Fortune are getting to know the industry Right now I'm working as a CNA at core have.

Yeah.

I'm working just it's a great opportunity for me just to start this career.

In Brazil, I've been work in public hospital as interpreter, and I already before after I school have in my to get involved in the health care field.

I'm just waiting for the exact time to, to start, you know.

And so right now, I'm, I'm really up for this great opportunity for me to start in the US and get to know the field and see what can be better for, for the future.

I was born and raised in 80, I have all of my siblings will already live in the US for many years, and then we needed t meet each other for many years.

So we talked to each other and I decided to come to the US to join each other.

And I just sit with my family and my dad and we here in the US.

Was i nice to have when you came over people who are already established to kind of immigrated here before who can help you kind of navigate like a new country.

Yeah.

It was, a little falling for me just to start.

But my sister will live here and grow up, and she helped me a lot.

when she first came here and grew up, she took some classes as well, and literacy center, and she refers m to the literacy center, because I realized tha it was really important for me to improve my communication skills, you know, there to get the great opportunity for the future.

was challenging.

You know, I had to work a lot with my listening, mainly at the beginning to work with my listening, because I remember when I first came, I went to a school with my nephew.

I didn't able to hear anything the teacher said.

So I realized that it was important for me to work on my listening skill and there to be able to listen.

And I'm, I'm just working a lot with my speaking skill that I'm still working on it.

So it was, important for me.

you are supporting your family.

You know you have children when on the way.

How important was it for you to be able to have a stipend, you know, here to be able to have money for studying.

when I first came here.

So I realized that I have to start with, even though I didn't be able to speak English too well.

So the literacy center helped me.

And, I just find this opportunity to increase my career.

So I'm really excited and really happy for that.

I realized that the float of I can see right now the float of consistency you know every day just give yourself about ten 15 minute every day work on the offer and se so it with it really important.

Yeah.

If you have a goal you want to visualize for the future.

So don't be afraid to start and we will reach it.

The power of language offer more than economic opportunity.

In this program, it's a pathwa to connection, a central point for humanity and a place of belonging in a new home.

I think som lot of people, especially people who are mono language speakers, we have this idea that language is somewhat transactional and that it's, you know, just a utilitarian activity.

But it's such it's so core to our humanity, our self-expression our understanding of who we are, and most importantly, ou ability to connect with others.

And few connect quite as strongly as Maximo Sanchez.

I love health care.

I love taking care of people.

I love seeing patients.

That's my passion.

So since I was a child, they asked me what will be my profession in the future, and I, since I was like, seven years or eight years old, I said that I am going to be a doctor because I like to take care of people.

Sanchez was a physician in his hometown of Cuba before he was forced to flee due to political issues, taking him to Venezuela, then Ecuador, before finally settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

life there and for a doctor is really, really difficult.

we were like, in the friend, bad situations, no first situations.

But I decided to be a doctor because I love taking care of people.

You can imagine, these feelings that, we fee when we are far from patients.

We are not closer fortunately, I found literacy center, my whole was work closer.

And they started again to dream, They asked me to participate in this kind of program And it was really important for me because even I used to know a little bit of English.

You don't have, enough knowledge related to, pronunciation, technical terminologies and how to know what is, the system.

For instance, here in Grand Rapids.

my coworkers and literacy center, the court health have since standard issue everything related to culture bias and biases, everything.

But my goal was since the beginning to learn about this culture and to show, many things related to my culture that can help them.

they always say, asking me, Maxim, where do you why are you so happy?

Always?

Why are you smiling?

Why I use you to have is 6 a.m.. Why are you laughing?

I'm singing because I love singing.

Laughing.

So my happiness.

I can teach someone else because it's my way to help my team and help patients too.

And I used to do that at home.

And, when I was working as a doctor with my patients, we were like a family, fun family.

And right now, I. I can change that because that's is what I am.

So that's who I am.

And, learning English, help helps me to do that.

Do you feel like your pas medical background as a doctor has helped you be a better, better medical assistant?

I think every profession in every place you have East, you are doing with all your heart.

It doesn't matter if it's.

I don't I don't like to compare them.

I feel like i when I was working as a doctor, I feel like I was doing really great because I was doing with all my heart.

You've talked so much in thi interview about helping people.

I guess what makes you want to to help folks?

It seems like you were doing that in Cuba, and you'r fighting to do that again here.

Why is that so important to you?

Mostly because of my mom.

My mom always, taught me about helping others that helping is better than be served.

Okay.

And, when I see a patient, I, I'm seeing a people who need help.

Need, physical help, need, emotional help, need everything.

Need a smile.

So, always smiling.

Even my situation is difficult.

I'm always smiling too.

Broke this ice.

Well, that every patient is facing when he's.

When they are coming to the, health service.

Sanchez's smile travels from his face to patients, staff and his family back home, but behind it shows a journey that's been hard fought towards his dream.

when you are an immigrant, you have to pass for many difficult issues during the travel.

Okay?

I think, most of, immigrants never, never talk about that because they feel like maybe they are not ready to say that, During my travel to this country, I suffer from different kind of bad feelings, you know, you, for example, when I was trying to go to Ecuador, I found the police, national guardian, that they stopped me during the my travel.

They took everything took all my property properties.

They they closed me in the room the environment i really difficult that you feel you are gonna blow.

Your mind is gonna explode at that time.

You know what is going to happen if you get back or come back to your country?

So you've got a lot of thing I just could pry at that time.

I say, God save me.

And then finally, God did the job because, I, I could go through the line of the country, But at the beginning, I work in a restaurant, like, restaurant.

I can I could try to, doing everything to survive So the pandemic was, running.

And at that time, everything was limited and I had to work very, very hard work.

I remembe once, and I have to work in the agriculture for a while, because every restaurant was was workloads closed.

And I was working in a restaurant and, I have to work in agriculture to survive because we we don't have anything to eat.

We don't have anything.

And I passed to that moment.

This.

My family, my family don't know about that.

It wasn't.

Even was a. to, to be close to many organization.

I have to search and Google everything to gain help me, because I was fighting almost by myself in that when, this program appeared in internet because I was looking at Google and I was searching, I would have been I said thi my that that's my opportunity.

And when I arrive here and I get connected with, literacy center with Covid health, I said, My God, everything is that is really solve, Joe Hope or you're struggling and your faith Today, he stands with his head high, championing his dreams not just for himself, but for loved ones back home.

But the situation in my country is really, really difficult, and every day is turning more difficult than the day before.

And when we are i another country give them hope and opportunities and saying them that.

Do you see, do you see, did you see what I did?

We have hope.

We have, opportunities here.

So don't be worried that everything is going to be all right.

because we know a different story when we were in our country.

This So, right now working here, you smiling in front of my patients, helping patients, helping everybody, But at the same time, I'm talking to my family.

How are you feeling today?

You find this medication?

How can I help you smile in them?

I mean, I'm struggling with everything.

I'm trying to to keep them with the core issues and everything related to that.

when you people see this on TV, what do you hope that they take from, you know, hearing your story?

If someone want to improving in your English and provide a better future.

The letter center is decent.

That you can find your goals.

you can say everything you can do, everything that you can grow up, even you have the feeling and you take the opportunity and you have, equality.

I would say, don't be afraid to start.

We know that at the beginning, as a non-native speaker, it can be challenging, give yourself discipline, dedication, work on your fluency every day.

Be familiar with the process and, it will be great for the future.

Thanks for watching.

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Oh.