California health plans unite to support career program for Black women

Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan and L.A. Care Health Plan have joined forces with the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute to support SheWorks California, which is a career development program for Black women living in Los Angeles County, according to a news release. The collaboration is part of a broader strategy by the health plans to invest in community-based initiatives that address economic disparities linked to long-term health outcomes.

SheWorks is a monthly program that offers sessions on job training specifically for Black women who are underemployed, unemployed or rebuilding their lives after incarceration.

Other skill-building sessions will include information on building an effective resume, honing leadership and communication skills, and financial literacy. Members will also be connected to prospective employers, as well as be mentored by Black women professionals.

It launched in January with approximately 30 participants. The next workshop begins on Feb. 28, 2026, and will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring role-playing exercises for job interviews. The full program runs through May 2026.

"Economic stability is a powerful driver of health," Charlie Robinson, chief health equity officer and head of community health at L.A. Care, said in the news release. "Programs like SheWorks recognize that supporting women's career goals also strengthens families and neighborhoods. When women have the tools to build sustainable futures, the ripple effects extend far beyond the workplace and into the overall well-being of our communities."

In the United States, the employment rates of Black women have been dropping. In 2025, Black women’s employment rates had one of the sharpest one-year declines in the past 25 years, falling 1.4% from 57.1% to 55.7%.

Last August, unemployment rates among Black women rose to 7.5%, while the national average remained at 4.3%, underscoring widening economic gaps that programs like SheWorks aim to address.

SheWorks sessions will be held at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Long Beach. Additional sessions are being planned for Community Resource Centers in South Los Angeles and Inglewood.

For the first cohort, SheWorks received more than 150 inquiries and 46 official applications.

Inglewood resident Marsha Cole is one of the women who enrolled in the January session. She had just lost her job and her father within a short period and felt overwhelmed and lost by the sudden life changes.

"I was always the person others relied on for solutions," Cole said in the news release. "After my father passed, the well was empty. I realized the Marsha who once had all the answers no longer had one for herself."

She completed the program with a potential employment referral and a renewed sense of hope.

"By opening the doors of the L.A. Care and Blue Shield Promise Community Resource Center in Long Beach to SheWorks, we're helping create pathways that empower women to care for their health and advance their careers right in their own neighborhoods," Jennifer Schirmer, vice president of Medi-Cal growth for Blue Shield Promise, said in the news release. "This collaboration reflects our commitment to meeting people where they are and removing barriers to opportunity."