Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan Sponsors $80,000 in Medical Assistant Training Scholarships in San Diego County | California Blue Shield
SAN DIEGO, California. (December 16, 2025) — Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan today announced the sponsorship of scholarships to support students participating 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 highlights Blue Shield Promise’s commitment to supporting workforce development initiatives that advance an equitable, affordable and sustainable health care system for uninsured, low-income and medically underserved communities in San Diego County.
The scholarships will support students enrolled in the program’s 2026 cohorts, with the first group beginning training in January 2026. The program offers 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 medical growth and community engagement for Blue Shield Promise. “By investing in local talent and expanding training opportunities, we are helping to train the next generation of healthcare professionals who will strengthen San Diego’s healthcare system by increasing the number of health professionals trained in the region.
“Blue Shield Promise’s scholarship sponsorship directly invests in the people who will shape the future of community health care in our region,” said Fran Butler-Cohen, CEO of Family Health Centers of San Diego. “By expanding access to medical assistant training, we are 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 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 the Laura Rodriguez Medical Assistant Institute. An open house for the program will be held at the Oak Park Family Health Center of San Diego, 5160 Federal Blvd. #150, San Diego, CA 92105 on Tuesday, December 16, from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
About the 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, that offers Medi-Cal. It is led by healthcare professionals with a “member-driven” philosophy committed to building a network of quality providers and partnering with community organizations for approximately 580,000 members in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. It was rated 4 out of 5 in NCQA’s 2024 Medicaid Health Plan Ratings. For more information about the Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, please visit www.blueshieldca.com/promise. For more information about the Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, please visit promisenews.blueshieldca.com. Or follow us on LinkedIn.
