Why United We Heal?
The Earn While You Learn Model
United We Heal Oregon creates career advancement opportunities in healthcare through completion of advanced certifications gained in apprenticeship and training programs.
UWH programs are designed and implemented through partnership of representatives of workers and employers, leading to programs that are more resonant with the needs of clients, workers, and employers. As an ERISA-governed Trust, UWH programs are able to provide transparency, detail and accountability in performance outcomes and use of funds.
Union Partner
For decades, Oregon AFSCME Council 75 has fought for fairness inOregon workplaces. Oregon AFSCME Council 75 was a founding partner of UWH. In appointing half the Trustees of UWH, Oregon AFSCME Council 75 brings a crucial, and rare, employee voice to governance and program development. Oregon AFSCME Council 75 regularly meets with behavioral healthcare employers to discuss opportunities to improve workplace conditions, including expanding adoption of UWH programs among employers not yet participating and improving incentives for workers to participate in these programs.
Oregon AFSCME Council 75 also publicizes UWH opportunities to potentially interested members through workers’ own voices, and existing workplace representation networks. UWH will continue to leverage a data sharing agreement with the Union, allowing access to employment lists that help identify individuals’ job titles & certification status.
Hands On Training
United We Heal’s programs emphasize hands-on training through paid employment while participants learn new skills, achieve industry-recognized certifications, and advance their careers, while minimizing student debt.
This creates opportunities for individuals who previously did not have access to higher education while advancing efforts to reduce disparities in professional advancement among populations.
How To Become An Employee Partner
Click the Apply Now button below to be taken our application form. Once you submit this online form, our team will follow up with you to discuss the next steps.
Trustee Bios
Lamar Wise is an Oregon State Representative. Lamar worked for the Oregon Student Association as Legislative Director, and later as Executive Director, during which time, he championed efforts to curb tuition increases and expand mental health services on college campuses. He has served on the state's Higher Education Coordinating Commission, the Governor's Racial Justice Council, and the state's Joint Task Force on Regional Behavioral Health Accountability.
Director of Special Projects, Oregon AFSCME
Anna Peña has been a Council Representative at Oregon AFSCME Council 75 for over 5 years, and has the privilege of representing and working with over 1,000 behavioral health workers in Oregon. Before her work at AFSCME, she worked in Oregon politics and briefly did direct service work at a non-profit in Eugene. This work led her to discover that her passion is ensuring that the workers providing direct care for our communities have a seat at the table and a direct pathway to career advancement.
Council Representative, Oregon AFSCME Council 75
Joe Baessler joined the Oregon AFSCME staff in 2006. A native of the Midwest, prior to joining AFSCME Baessler worked on the staffs of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Multnomah County Commissioner Lisa Naito, among others. He is also a co-founder of the Oregon Bus Project. Baessler graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 and has a law degree from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Baessler and his wife, Sarah, have three young children.
Executive Director, Oregon AFSCME Council 75
Juli has been the Human Resources Director at Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare since June 13, 2018. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Portland State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Studies with a minor in Psychology. She then went on to complete the HR certification program at PSU. Her career has primarily been in the non-profit mental health sector, starting at a Residential Treatment Facility in 1999 and then moving on to Human Resources in 2012.
Human Resources Director, Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare
David has provided years of clinical services of direct care as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, as well as supervision and management of programs and services. In recent years David has focused on agency workforce development, credentialing and licensure support and supervision. Partnering with the United We Heal Training Trust as an Employer Trustee and supporting Cascadia as a Training Agent is an important part of the work that can help a difference.
People and Culture Development Officer, Cascadia Health
United We Heal is an Oregon-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide healthcare career pathways through equitable apprenticeship and training programs that are responsive to the needs of clients, patients, workers, and employers. We are a joint-labor management partnership with Oregon AFSCME Council 75, governed by an equal number of employee and employer representative trustees.
We envision a community where healthcare professionals are empowered. Employers are able to attract and retain a more skilled workforce, and all individuals receive continuity of care and access to individualized services. UWH’s mission will bridge major gaps in the healthcare workforce, equipping Oregon to be more responsive to the healthcare crisis in our state.