SCCC granted $15M for health care training

Althea Prass-Johnson makes a presentation in her community health class Tuesday at Schenectady County Community College's extension site in Center City in Schenectady.

Schenectady County Community College was awarded a federal grant for $3 million per year over five years, Sen. Chuck Schumer’s office announced on Tuesday.

The award is one of the largest in the college’s 46-year-history, according to the college. The grant is renewable for five years and targeted for the college’s healthcare program.

Five years ago, SCCC received a Healthcare Program Opportunities Grant for $11.45 million to train students for careers in the health care industry. The funding was to help local residents who were unemployed or on public assistance.

“This training program at SCCC has provided students with great opportunities,” said Ann Fleming Brown, chair of the SCCC Board of Trustees. “It has helped strengthen underserved communities and made a difference for job seekers in the Capital Region.”

The funding announced on Tuesday will expand the program by forming the Upstate Partnership for Healthcare Pathways to include two colleges to the program including Fulton-Montgomery Community College and SUNY Adirondack.

The community colleges will work with SCCC, Albany Community Action Partnership and Schenectady Community Action Program to provide training assistance across nine counties.

The new grant is expected to help fund training for 2,200 students over five years, the college said. The program will provide students with pathways to four industry credentials, eight certifications and eight degrees.

Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, and Congressman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, helped to secure the federal grant funding.

“Our healthcare training has been incredibly successful and returned a superior return on investment in terms of the number of students who went on to be employed in this fast-growing career field,” said project director Dr. Tiziana Rota. “These students continue to make a difference in our community.”