In healthcare innovation, success is measured not just in numbers, but in transformed lives and strengthened communities. The Caring4Cal initiative, a groundbreaking partnership between the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) and Cell-Ed, has delivered on both fronts, creating a playbook for addressing one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges: building and growing a skilled home-based healthcare workforce.

The urgency of this work cannot be overstated. By 2030, California will have approximately 10.8 million residents aged 60+—nearly a quarter of the state’s population. This demographic shift, combined with a growing preference for aging in place, demands innovative solutions for workforce development in home and community-based care.

Caring4Cal’s results tell a compelling story of impact at scale. The initiative provided training to more than 44,000 healthcare workers, with an impressive 31% being new entrants to the field. Participants completed more than 320,000 courses, totaling 1.3 million training hours—a testament to the program’s ability to deliver comprehensive education at scale while maintaining quality.

But beyond these numbers lie deeper insights about effective workforce development:

• Accessibility drives engagement. 97.8% of participants shared that they wouldn’t have accessed similar training otherwise, highlighting the importance of removing barriers to professional development.
• Cultural competency alongside technical skills pays dividends. With 99.7% of participants reporting improved ability to care for patients from diverse backgrounds, Caring4Cal has shown how workforce development can directly address healthcare disparities.

• Holistic support, including incentives, matter. While the program distributed $18.4 million in incentives to more than 16,000 Californians, it was the combination of financial support with robust career coaching (reaching 19,000+ participants) that proved transformative. 

The healthcare landscape is evolving, and one thing remains certain: the need for skilled, compassionate home-based care will only grow. Programs like Caring4Cal demonstrate that with innovative approaches and strategic partnerships, we can build a workforce ready to meet this challenge.