Goodwill unveils plan to enhance programs, services - San Antonio Business Journal:

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As part of those 2009 goals, Rebecca Helterbrand, spokeswomab for the nonprofit organization, says Goodwill is expandinvg its health services through a new partnership with the As part ofthis partnership, UHS will provide on-demand health care services within Goodwill Currently, Goodwill provides free and low-cost preventativee health care services, such as immunizations and screening designed to prevent illness, at its stores throughu its partnership with the San Antoniol Metropolitan Health District (Metro Helterbrand says Goodwill’s new partnership with UHS will alloqw it to expand thoses services by offering free and low-cosrt medical services to individuals who are alreadyy ill.
“So now we kind of have both legs of publicf health working with us in both the preventative area and inthe on-demand area,” Helterbrand says. The clinic will assesxs a patient’s income level to determine if he or she qualifiesx for freeor low-cost services. The Goodwill locatioh at Culebra Road and Loop 1604 on theNorthwesrt Side, which opened in the fourtb quarter of last year, has been selectedc as the first site for the new medicalp services.
The second location for the on-demand medicakl services will be at the Goodwill store at Vance Jacksoj and Fredericksburg Road just inside Loop 410 north of In addition to expanding its health care Helterbrand says Goodwill plans to augment its financiao services partnership with generations Federa lCredit Union. Last year, Goodwill teamedc up with the credit union to provide acces s to bankingservices — free of predatory lendint practices — to people with disabilities and barriers to The first location was launched inside the Goodwilol store at Fredericksburg and Vance Plans call for openingb two more banking brancheas this year at Goodwill’s locationws on Bitters Road and Highway 281 North in Northb Central San Antonio and DeZavala and Interstate 10 on the Northwes t Side.
More details about exacft launching dates will be released at alated date. In addition to offering more healtbh andfinancial services, Goodwill also plans to open a new learninb center called the Good Careers Academy. Goodwill has partnered with the Alamio Community College District to provide certification programsd to individuals looking to bette r their lives through developing workplace Helterbrand says the goal of the academy will be to help trainj a futureskilled workforce. One of the first areas Goodwill will offer certification in is informationtechnologuy (IT).
Plans for the futurew call for offering certification in healt h andother demand-driven occupationz that Helterbrand says “are going to grow and that pay well abovwe the living wage.” “We think that IT piece at DeZavala will be available in the April or May time she says, adding that Goodwilpl looks to offer three, six- and nine-monthj certification programs. Helterbrand says the Good Careers Academy location will have room for 20 studentxsper morning, afternoon and evening classew — for a potential totakl of 60 students per day.
Instructor will include a combination of hiredstaff (accredited through the Workforce Commission) and adjunct professors from area community colleges. The new academh will be located at the Goodwill centert at DeZavala andInterstate 10. Rightt now, Helterbrand says, Goodwill is lookin for the funding and resource s to eventually developa free-standinvg facility for the academy. This year’s goal s are part of Goodwill’s larger 50/50 by 2010 strategic plan.