Jaines Andrades, NP, Testifies on the Shortage of Minority Healthcare Providers

We are proud to share that our very own Jaines Andrades, a nurse practitioner at Baystate Medical Center in the trauma and surgery unit, testified before the Senate committee on healthcare, education, labor, and pensions (HELP) about ways to minimize the shortage of minority healthcare providers.
Jaines was invited to testify by Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana based on the now-famous story of her healthcare career journey from a custodian to a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice). Featured on CNN, Good Morning America, People magazine, and more, she first caught national attention in 2020 when she posted a photo of each of her hospital badges to social media, showing her progression from custodian to registered nurse to nurse practitioner, all in the same hospital.
Following a screening process with representatives of the bi-partisan committee members, Jaines was invited to be part of the panel, which included three other healthcare professionals, to help senators learn about ways to decrease barriers between minority students.
“I began working in environmental services, as a custodian, at Baystate Medical Center. I worked to keep surgery and procedure rooms clean. This gave me the opportunity to see, first-hand, what nurses did, what I would need to know to move ahead in a healthcare environment, and to get advice on how to proceed in my career,” Jaines shared. “My colleagues also offered incredible insight on ways I hadn’t thought of to fund my education. They pointed me toward resources like the Western Mass Community Foundation, where I had access to scholarships and interest-free loans.”
Based on her experience, Jaines recommended to senators that education be made more affordable through tuition-free community college. She also suggested that scholarship opportunities and information on ways to access funding need to be made more available to minority students.