When Torrance Memorial Health first partnered with Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County in 2019, the goal was simple but powerful: meet critical workforce needs while creating meaningful career opportunities for people in our community.
What started with internships in Food Services has now grown into something even bigger, launching Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County’s first-ever Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Acute Care training cohort inside a hospital setting.
From Food Services to Frontline Care
The partnership was born out of both necessity and purpose, according to Johanna Johnson-Gilman, director of Food Services at Torrance Memorial and chair of the Board of Trustees for Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County.
“We were having a difficult time filling Food Services positions because of how competitive the job market had become,” she explains. “Goodwill has a long history of skills-based training and workforce development, so it made sense to work together to meet both organizational and community needs.”
Certified nursing assistants with Goodwill's acute care training cohort at Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
Through the partnership, Goodwill placed interns, most of whom have faced many economic or personal obstacles in their lives, into supportive internship roles at Torrance Memorial. Participants received hands-on experience, job coaching, and the chance to grow their skills over three- or six-month internships. Many went on to secure permanent roles, some at Torrance Memorial.
Today, Torrance Memorial has welcomed more than a dozen Goodwill interns working in Food Services, with some still employed years later. “Even when someone isn’t the right fit for us,” Johnson-Gilman says, “Goodwill helps place them in an environment where they can succeed. That’s the beauty of the model.”
Why CNAs and Why Now?
The expansion into acute care CNA training comes at a critical time. CNAs play a vital role in hospitals, providing essential bedside care that supports both patients and clinical teams. Their responsibilities include assisting with activities of daily living such as bathing and mobility, taking vital signs, documenting patient information, and serving as an extra set of eyes and ears for nurses and physicians.
In California, CNAs are in especially high demand. Hospitals often recruit CNAs from skilled nursing facilities, but many traditional training programs focus primarily on long-term care settings. That leaves a gap when CNAs transition into fast-paced acute care environments.
“This program helps bridge that gap,” says Cara Chlebicki, RN, professional development coordinator at Torrance Memorial. “Acute care is different. Patients are sicker, the pace is faster, and communication with nurses and physicians is constant. This experience helps CNAs build confidence, clinical skills, and strong documentation habits.”
Participants in the program are already CNAs who complete additional acute care training, which includes six 12-hour hospital shifts across medical-surgical, progressive care, telemetry, oncology, orthopedics, and bariatrics units.
“The units have been thrilled,” Chlebicki adds. “It’s an extra set of hands, and it gives these CNAs a real competitive edge if they want to work in a hospital long-term.”
A First-of-Its-Kind Cohort
For Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County, this cohort represents a milestone moment.
“Today is a big one for us,” the organization shared at the program’s launch. “We officially launched our Acute Care program, and our first cohort showed up ready to work, learn, and level up.”
Built on top of Goodwill’s established CNA pathway, the acute care training serves as the next rung on the career ladder, opening doors to higher earning potential, hospital-based roles, and future advancement into nursing or other clinical professions.
Goodwill’s workforce model is intentionally responsive. Programs are developed based on community needs assessments, which is why their healthcare training offerings continue to grow. In addition to CNA training, Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County is exploring areas like pharmacy technician education and security services within healthcare environments.
From Office Work to the Hospital Floor
For Soraida Robles, one of the CNA students in the first cohort, the program represents a complete career transformation.
After spending 20 years in office work, Robles found herself questioning whether that path was truly fulfilling. When she became a caregiver for her mother-in-law, something clicked.
“I realized I wanted to do something meaningful,” she says.
Robles enrolled in Goodwill’s free nine-week CNA certification program through Long Beach City College. She graduated, secured a job at a rehabilitation facility within weeks, and quickly knew she wanted to learn more. When she heard about the acute care opportunity at Torrance Memorial, she didn’t hesitate.
“I immediately jumped at the chance,” she says. “Being in the hospital was a shock at first, but a good one. I love the challenge.”
Her experience at Torrance Memorial has only reinforced her decision. “Everyone has been so helpful, the staff and the patients. Sometimes patients just want someone to listen. Even small things make a big difference.”
Robles now hopes to continue her education and eventually become a nurse. “I love being able to help,” she says. “I always want to be learning new things.”
A Partnership with Purpose
At its core, the Torrance Memorial–Goodwill partnership reflects a shared belief: that workforce development makes the greatest impact when it aligns opportunity with real community needs.
Goodwill Southern Los Angeles County serves 22 cities and communities, transforming donated goods into job training, education, and placement services for individuals facing barriers to employment. Their mission goes beyond jobs: it’s about dignity, stability, and long-term economic vitality.
For Torrance Memorial, the partnership strengthens the hospital’s workforce pipeline while investing directly in the community it serves.
“This is about building futures,” Johnson-Gilman says. “For our organization, for our community, and for the people who walk through our doors every day ready to learn, grow, and care for others.”
And if the energy of this first CNA cohort is any indication, the future of healthcare in the South Bay is in very good hands.
