Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan Sponsors $80,000 in Medical Assistant Training Scholarships in San Diego County

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SAN DIEGO, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan announced today the sponsorship of scholarships to support students taking part in the Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute (LRMAI), an education and training program offered by Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD).

The $80,000 investment underscores Blue Shield Promise's commitment to supporting workforce development initiatives that advance an equitable, affordable and sustainable healthcare system for uninsured, low-income and medically underserved communities across San Diego County.

The scholarships will support students enrolling in the program's 2026 cohorts, with the first group beginning their training in January 2026. The program offers both full-time and part-time tracks, totaling 710 hours of instruction, and prepares graduates for employment as medical assistants within the region's healthcare system. 

"This initiative is about more than funding — it's about creating opportunity," said Jennifer Schirmer, vice president of Medi-Cal growth and community engagement for Blue Shield Promise. "By investing in local talent and expanding educational opportunities, we're helping to grow the next generation of healthcare professionals who will strengthen San Diego's healthcare system by increasing the number of trained health professionals in the region."

The institute's employment and repayment requirements for existing scholarships do not apply to Blue Shield Promise's sponsorship funds, offering recipients greater flexibility in pursuing careers across the San Diego healthcare workforce

"Blue Shield Promise's scholarship sponsorship directly invests in the people who will shape the future of community health care across our region," said Fran Butler-Cohen, CEO of Family Health Centers of San Diego. "By expanding access to medical assistant training, we're creating career pathways that address workforce shortages and improve access to care for all San Diegans."

The sponsorship builds on Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan's existing partnership with Family Health Centers of San Diego, which began with a $1 million grant award in 2022 that expanded cardiac care services in eastern San Diego County and led to the opening of the El Cajon Urgent and Cardiac Care Center.

For more information about the Medical Assistant program, please visit Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute. An open house for the program will be held at Family Health Centers of San Diego's Oak Park Family Health Center, 5160 Federal Blvd. #150, San Diego, CA 92105 on Tuesday, December 16, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

About Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan is a managed care organization, wholly owned by Blue Shield of California, offering Medi-Cal. It is led by healthcare professionals with a "members-first" philosophy and committed to building a quality network of providers and partnering with community organizations for about 580,000 members across Los Angeles and San Diego counties. It was rated 4 out of 5 in NCQA's Medicaid Health Plan Ratings 2024. For more information about Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, please visit www.blueshieldca.com/promise. For more news about Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, please visit promisenews.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn. 

SOURCE Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan