Project IMPROVE: Baltimore Health Corps Initiative —A Transitional Jobs Program to Improve Public Health and Employment Outcomes During COVID-19 

In April 2020, the Baltimore City Health Department, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), and other officials worked together to address the sudden loss of jobs that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic by developing the Baltimore Health Corps (BHC), a transitional jobs program for unemployed and underemployed city residents. BHC provides unemployed residents with paid jobs as care coordinators and contact tracers. Supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Administration for Children and Families, and the Office of Family Assistance’s Project IMPROVE, Mathematica worked with MOED using the Learn, Innovate, Improve framework to help BHC employees successfully transition to the regular labor market when their paid positions end. This brief features the MOED/Mathematica partnership, including its accomplishments, ongoing challenges, and next steps.