January 14, 2021
Tallahassee Community College’s Gadsden Center and Sunshine Health are gearing up for their next cohort in the New Year by continuing their partnership to provide Gadsden County residents with full scholarships to earn a post-secondary credential in short-term healthcare programs. The courses begin Feb. 1, 2021 and target individuals interested in becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) or Home Health Aide, which are in high demand locally, statewide and nationally.
“These Gadsden County area residents are getting valuable healthcare training in a region that needs more resources like this,” said Liz Miller, President and CEO of Centene’s Florida Health Plans, which includes Sunshine Health. “The benefits are twofold: The area is getting a new wave of healthcare heroes, and students who might otherwise not be able to afford training now have a new future in healthcare.”
The Gadsden Connect program is a pilot project that launched earlier in the year with a primary focus of addressing the shortage of healthcare workers by providing scholarships to Gadsden County residents who meet the eligibility criteria for Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide certification programs. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, uniforms and industry recognized exams. The third CNA cohort this year started in October. The next Home Health Aide cohort begins in February 2021 and is a four-week program.
“The goal of TCC remains laser focused on meeting the community’s workforce needs,” said Kimberly A. Moore, VP for Workforce Innovation and TCC2WORK. “The partnerships and collaborations forged with the business community is critical to the overall success of our community and state. Sunshine Health is a prime example of a company focused on making communities stronger by investing to create a stronger workforce.”
Recognizing that TCC wants to make an immediate impact, the Nursing Assistant program requires 120 clock hours and the Home Health Aide program requires 75 clock hours, all with a direct path to employment.
“This class gave me a chance to continue my interest in becoming a CNA,” said Lavondar Chandler, Gadsden Connect student. “I will take advantage of this opportunity to further my career in the health care field, as well as, outside the field, by spreading factual knowledge and helping others along my journey.”
Graduates from the programs are desired by many healthcare employers in the College’s service area and across Florida. Note, local employers who are interested in recruiting program graduates should contact TCC’s Division of Workforce Development at 1-833-TCC-JOBS.
To learn more about the programs, contact gadsdencenter@tcc.fl.edu or (850) 558-3620.
• Pictured (L-R) Back Row: Deondra Alls, Melissa Norris
Front Row: Lavondar Chandler, Elsy Hernandez, Jamicia Williams, LaKeisha M. Brown (Mrs. Y. Forman-Payton, Instructor), and missing from photo Yareni Vasquez.