Publications

Southcentral Foundation—Nuka Model of Care Provides Career Growth for Frontline Staff

Author(s): 

Lisel Blash, Catherine Dower, Susan A. Chapman

Date: 
September 1, 2011

Southcentral Foundation (SCF) assumed management of a primary care system with low patient satisfaction and high staff turnover. This led SCF to create extensive employee development programs and to support a human resources policy in which frontline staff, including medical assistants, can work their way up to the highest ranks of the organization. SCF has developed a uniquely community-centered, team-based model of care that incorporates the people receiving health care as customer-owners of their own care. These initiatives have resulted in excellent health outcomes and high staff retention.