JVS is the Healthcare Sector Investment Coordinator for the Bay Area Jobs First Activation Plan.
As part of its role as healthcare sector investment coordinator for the Bay Area Jobs First Initiative, JVS, Still Waters Consulting, and Bienestar Community Economics teamed up with All Home, the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and other community partners to create the newly released Bay Area Healthcare Sector Regional Activation Plan. The team interviewed stakeholders representing a wide range of interests and communities to develop the activation plan, which was approved by the Steering Committee in June 2025 and is ready for implementation. The plan provides an economic development blueprint to help grow the healthcare sector in the Bay Area.
About the Collaborative
The Bay Area Jobs First Collaborative is a regional partnership focused on building a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient workforce across the Bay Area. It brings together public agencies, workforce boards, community-based organizations, employers, labor unions, and educational institutions to align efforts and resources around quality job creation and economic mobility, especially for communities systemically excluded from opportunity.
Key goals include:
- Advancing Justice: Prioritizing jobseekers from disinvested communities, including people of color, immigrants, and low-income workers.
- Demand-Driven Training: Connecting people to high-quality training programs that lead to in-demand, family-sustaining jobs in sectors like healthcare, clean energy, infrastructure, and technology.
- Employer Engagement: Partnering with employers to improve job quality, create pathways into good careers, and commit to inclusive hiring practices.
- System Coordination: Strengthening collaboration across workforce, education, and economic development systems to better serve jobseekers and employers.
- Policy and Investment Alignment: Leveraging state and federal funding to drive regional economic transformation with shared metrics and accountability.
The Collaborative is part of California’s Jobs First initiative and reflects a new model of regional workforce development rooted in equity, partnership, and shared prosperity.
About the Activation Plan
The Healthcare Sector Activation Plan aims to address critical workforce shortages while creating pathways to quality jobs for marginalized communities. The 18-month strategy will improve job quality in direct-care roles, mobilize anchor institutions for local investment, and strengthen community clinics across the nine-county region. The plan aims to help fill nearly 100,000 projected healthcare jobs by 2030 while ensuring just and fair access to care.
Key components include:
- Regional Coordination: Establishing a convening body to align healthcare workforce efforts across hospitals, community clinics, behavioral health, and long-term care providers throughout the nine-county Bay Area.
- Career Pipeline Development: Creating clear pathway maps and expanding work-based learning opportunities to connect job seekers with quality healthcare careers, particularly in high-demand direct-care roles.
- Anchor Institution Mobilization: Leveraging major healthcare systems like Kaiser Permanente and UCSF to adopt shared strategies for local hiring, equitable procurement, and community investment.
- Community Health Infrastructure: Strengthening community clinics and FQHCs to deliver culturally competent care while participating in regional workforce development efforts.
- Future-Ready Training: Integrating digital literacy, AI skills, and innovative care delivery models into workforce development to prepare workers for evolving healthcare demands.
The activation plan aims to create a resilient, high-quality healthcare system that supports both the workforce and the people they serve across the entire Bay Area region. The full Healthcare Activation Plan, as well as plans for manufacturing, education, and transportation sectors, can be found on the All Home Bay Area Sector Investment website.
