ABOVE PHOTO: The Philadelphia Housing Authority and CVS Health partnered to train customer service associates and pharmacy technicians at Vaux. (Photo/PHA)
On Wednesday, the PHA’s Vaux Community Building, located at 2300 Master Street in Sharswood, celebrated a new partnership with CVS Health that will help train customer service associates and pharmacy technicians at Vaux.
This new career training program brings another critical resource to the Sharswood Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which is the largest mixed-income housing project underway in Philadelphia. Ultimately, this revitalization effort will result in the addition of 1,200 housing units, including apartment rentals and affordable homes for sale.
PHA established the Vaux Community Building to provide the community with the resources it needs to provide a better quality of life.
“This new partnership with CVS Health shows that PHA is serious about keeping the promises it made in the plan to transform Sharswood,” said PHA president and CEO Kelvin A. Jeremiah. “In reality, it takes an entire village to revitalize a Philadelphia neighborhood. We can’t do it alone. CVS Health is bringing new energy to our efforts to create an affordable mixed-income community of choice, by offering opportunities for employment and training. As importantly, its investment demonstrates a powerful commitment to neighborhoods that have been underserved.”
On August 4, officials from CVS, PHA gathered together to recognize the first cohort of PHA residents to complete the pharmacy technician program at Vaux. Individuals who complete the pharmacy technician program qualify to apply for a position at CVS Health.
“Providing employment and skills training to underserved populations has the power to transform and build healthier communities,” said David Casey, SVP and chief diversity officer for CVS Health. “We’re working with JEVS Human Services and Philadelphia Housing Authority to help break down any employment barriers that may exist and focusing on addressing health disparities that prevail among participants.”
City Council President Darrell L. Clarke said these partnerships are vital to economic growth. “We’re grateful to PHA and CVS for partnering on this job training opportunity for residents of the Sharswood community,” he said. “The healthcare industry is a growing part of our local economy, and training to become a pharmacy technician is a path towards a job, stability, and opportunity for people in North Philadelphia.”
Pharmacy technicians typically are the first point of contact for patients visiting retail locations. Demand for these workers is growing, as they use their knowledge and skill to help people get medications to improve their health.
Vaux, a historic building located in the heart of Sharswood, is an EnVision Center demonstration site that hosts a range of services to PHA residents and the broader community seeking self-sufficiency through the housing authority’s Workforce Development Center. PHA’s partners at the site offer services and resources related to better health, financial services, entrepreneurship, job training, creative writing and reading programs for youth, and after school programs.
They include: Temple University Community Health Center; Mighty Writers, which does food and diaper distributions along with a creative writing after school program; Clarifi, a financial literacy agency; PowerCorps and other employment and entrepreneurship resources.
The center, the only one in Pennsylvania, is also home to the Vaux Big Picture High School which just graduated its first class, about half of whom were PHA residents. Many of Vaux’s partners will attend the celebration.
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