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Physician
Job Corps is the nation's largest and most comprehensive residential education and job training program for economically challenged youth, ages 16 through 24. Since 1964, the program has provided more than 2 million disadvantaged young people with the integrated academic, vocational, and social skills training they need to gain independence and get quality, long-term jobs or further their education. There are 118 Job Corps centers located throughout the United States and Puerto Rico operated by both federal agencies (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA] and United States Department of the Interior [USDI]) and private corporations.
The Job Corps program is authorized under The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 that establishes the framework for a national workforce preparation and employment system designed to meet the needs of the nation’s businesses and the needs of job seekers and individuals who want to further their careers. The law provides for full involvement of business, labor, and community organizations in the design and operation of the new workforce system and emphasizes accountability at all levels—national, state and local.
The Department of Labor (DOL) is the federal agency responsible for the operation of Job Corps. The Office of Job Corps is administered by the Job Corps National Director, Deputy Director, and three Division Chiefs (Division of Program Planning and Development, Division of Budget and Facilities Support, and Division of Program Support and Accountability). The Job Corps national health component is a section of the Division of Program Planning and Development and is led by the national nurse consultant who is responsible for developing and implementing the policies and procedures that guide the delivery of health care on center.
A health support contractor works with the national office, regional offices, and centers to develop and enhance center health and wellness services. For example, the contractor assists the national office in developing policy, training center health and wellness staff on new initiatives, developing resource materials, collecting and analyzing health program data, pilot testing new health and wellness initiatives, and managing a national network of regional health consultants (RHCs).
The center physician would only contact the national nurse consultant or the health support contractor in unusual circumstances. However, there is a RHC team (nurse, physician, dentist, mental health professional) assigned to each regional office to:
- Conduct assessments of center health and wellness programs for quality and compliance with the Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH)
- Provide technical assistance to health and wellness staff
- Assist in the recruitment of health professionals for center
- Provide training for health and wellness staff
- Coordinate center visits with regional office and center staff
- Follow up on recommendations made during center assessments
Center physicians are encouraged to contact their regional medial consultant (RMC) when they are in need of policy/procedural advice and/or to report sentinel events on their center, i.e., a student death or a serious infectious disease. In addition, the center physician can give input to policy and procedural changes they would like the RMC to pass up to national level discussions, e.g., changes in drug formulary and/or standing protocols. Contact numbers for all RHCs are available from the regional office or on the directory webpage.
Policies & Procedures
Requirements and guidelines for center health and wellness programs are defined and explained in three sets of documents:
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Section 670.525—The CFR states the operating requirements for Job Corps. The promotion and maintenance of student health and wellness is a desirable goal as well as a requirement under the CFR:
“A Job Corps center operator must provide medical services, through provision and coordination of a wellness program which includes access to basic medical, dental, and mental health services for all students, from their date of enrollment until separation from the program.”
Click here to view the CFR Part 670 Table of Contents. - Policy and Requirements Handbook (PRH)—The PRH expands the CFR by establishing operating policy requirements for Job Corps centers. There are six PRH Chapters. Chapter 6, sections 6.10 – 6.12, defines the required parameters and services of center health and wellness programs. Although Chapter 6 is critical to understanding health requirements, center staff should be familiar with the other PRH chapters too. Note: The center physician should have PRH Chapter 6 available while reviewing this TAG.
- Technical Assistance Guides (TAGs)—TAGs contain suggestions and technical assistance for implementing the policies and requirements set forth in the PRH. As new requirements are added to the PRH, new TAGs are developed to assist in implementing the policy. The PRH and all health TAGs should be available in the health and wellness center.
The Job Corps directive and field communication system is used to update the PRH and to disseminate information throughout Job Corps via e-mail, followed by a mailed copy. Directives are distributed to national office senior staff, regional directors, center directors, center operators, and national training and support contractors.
Three types of directives are issued:
- PRH Change Notices—Contain new or revised policy with instructions to delete, replace, or add pages to the PRH.
- Program Instructions—Provide one-time instructions with a designated expiration date and usually require center response (e.g., dental equipment survey).
- Information Notices—Provide one-time announcements with information that is of interest to centers (e.g., data summaries, flu vaccines, etc.).
The Job Corps health and wellness website maintains copies of all Job Corps health-related materials (PRH, TAGs, directives, resource guides) for viewing and downloading. Center health and wellness staff should visit the website frequently to receive the latest information about both Job Corps and the health and wellness program.
Connection to Employability
The social and economic impact of disease in terms of lost days and years of productive work is substantial. Acute and chronic medical problems leading to restricted activity and work loss can jeopardize job performance and security. Unhealthy conditions can have deleterious psychological and physical effects on a student’s ability to succeed in Job Corps and in later life. Optimal health and wellness is a critical prerequisite to successful training and employment.
The Career Development Services System (CDSS) is a comprehensive and integrated management system for equipping all Job Corps students with the skills, competencies, knowledge, training, and transitional support required to facilitate entry into and sustain their participation in a competitive labor market, the military, or advanced education or training. The system is designed to enhance all aspects of the Job Corps experience including the admissions process, the career preparation period, the career development period, and the post-center career transition period.
Program Philosophy
Job Corps employs a training approach that prepares youth for employment. Similarly, Job Corps employs a holistic wellness approach that integrates students’ overall well-being, employability skills, and optimal health status through a combination of on-center health services and related health programs to prepare students for stable, long-term employment.
The health and wellness program is designed to increase students’ awareness of their own personal responsibility in achieving and maintaining health and wellness. The philosophy of the Job Corps policy regarding health is based upon the following precepts and truisms:
- Optimal health and wellness plays an important role in interpersonal and social relationships.
- Certain conditions, when left untreated, present major psychosocial barriers to the students’ well-being and prevent students from adapting completely to Job Corps and the workplace.
- Optimal health and wellness is the personal responsibility of each student. The primary task of the center’s health and wellness program is to make students aware of health responsibility as it applies in the workplace and in their own individual lives.
- Safe and effective disease prevention measures exist that everyone can adopt to improve health and wellness and prevent disease.
The determination, dedication, diligence, and attitude that it takes to achieve health and wellness is translatable to seeking employment, maintaining employment, and succeeding in the workplace.
Program Purpose & Objectives
Many students have not had the benefit of routine medical care prior to entering Job Corps. The suboptimal health status of many entering students is attributable to their previous lack of access to medical care and preventive services. As a result, many students arrive on center with a significant need for medical care and health promotional skills training.
The PRH stipulates that centers provide basic medical services to assist students in attaining and maintaining optimal health and wellness while they are in Job Corps. In the course of obtaining health and wellness services, students learn:
- About wellness concepts and the steps taken to maintain personal wellness and to do appropriate self-care when ill
- About their individual medical condition(s) and prescribed treatment(s)
- About appropriate healthy lifestyle choices
- About the center’s health care delivery system
- How and when to seek on-center health care
- How and when to access community health services
- How to take personal responsibility for maintaining optimal health
- How employability skills can be applied in the course of obtaining health and wellness services
- That optimal health and wellness is a prerequisite to employment readiness