The Importance of CNAs in Healthcare
In the intricate tapestry of healthcare, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) hold a pivotal role that often goes unnoticed. As frontline
San Diego, CA- 9/09/2025 – After two decades in corporate healthcare leadership, Damien Weston has chosen a new path – one that focuses on people, purpose, and rebuilding communities. Now serving as Chief Engagement Officer of Equip Human Solutions, Weston is dedicating his career to addressing some of the deepest challenges facing communities today, including rebuilding the healthcare workforce, housing insecurity, and community support systems.
Weston’s career included high-profile roles with national hospice and healthcare organizations, serving as Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Growth Officer, and Vice President of Business Development. Yet despite his accomplishments, he found himself questioning whether the corporate world was truly living up to its purpose.
“The organizations paid to care were increasingly failing to demonstrate it – for their employees, patients, families, and their communities,” Weston said. “I knew it was time to use my experience differently.”
That questioning intensified in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic strained healthcare systems, thinned the workforce, and left frontline communities with unprecedented challenges. At the same time, homelessness in major cities was rising by double digits. Weston began to ask a critical question: Who was going to step forward to help rebuild the workforce and restore communities?
For Weston, the answer lay in returning to the values that shaped his own life. At 16, he faced homelessness himself. His survival depended on the care of a small-town community: a local businessman gave him a job, the Lions Club purchased his glasses, and his church found him a family to live with so he could finish high school.
“Those experiences built the foundation of who I am,” Weston reflected. “Now, it’s about bringing that same small-town community spirit to the streets of our most populated cities, providing real pathways for both individual and community transformation.”
Through Equip Human Solutions and its 501(c)(3) affiliate, Equip Resource Solutions, Weston is leading a bold initiative: establishing no-cost, student-led medical clinics in partnership with CVS Health. These clinics provide immediate care for vulnerable populations while also creating workforce training opportunities to replenish and grow the healthcare sector that was so heavily impacted during the pandemic.
This vision is not just about advocacy – it is about action. Weston sees these clinics as scalable, practical solutions that address two urgent needs simultaneously: improving access to healthcare for underserved populations and creating a pipeline of trained professionals to strengthen the healthcare workforce.
“It is my hope that my story will spurn others into action,” Weston said. “We need CEOs and business leaders to step forward and be part of building these clinics, these programs, and these communities. Real transformation requires collaboration.”
Leaders at Equip Human Solutions emphasize that Weston’s story is not only inspirational but also practical in its application. His transition from corporate healthcare to human advocacy underscores the urgent need for partnerships between businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations.
“Damien brings more than leadership experience – he brings lived experience, empathy, and vision,” said Michelle Padilla, CEO/Founder of Big Tomato Marketing. “But more importantly, he is offering leaders a seat at the table. He’s saying: you have a role to play in solving these challenges, and here’s how.”
About Equip Human Solutions
Equip Human Solutions envisions a world where every organization and individual has the tools to thrive – building resilient communities, fostering dynamic workplaces, and driving collective growth for a brighter future. In partnership with Western Medical Training Center and its 501(c)(3) affiliate, Equip Resource Solutions, Equip Human Solutions is committed to impacting one million lives through education, workforce development, and community engagement. Its national partnership with CVS Health is helping to establish student-led, no-cost medical clinics designed to meet critical community needs while rebuilding the healthcare workforce.
For more information, contact info@equiphs.com
In the intricate tapestry of healthcare, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) hold a pivotal role that often goes unnoticed. As frontline
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