SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — More than 160 students in Schenectady County Community College’s (SCCC) Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) program graduated Thursday, at the Taylor Auditorium located in the Begley Building on the SCCC campus during a ceremony held at 3 p.m. Students gathered with their friends, families and instructors, graduating into the field to become Certified Nurse Aides (CNA), Home Health Aides, Direct Support Professionals and Dental Lab Technicians (DLT ).
“I congratulate the graduating students, this is a defining moment as they head into their respected fields of practice,” said Dr. Quintin Bullock, President of SCCC. “Our HPOG program has fostered great opportunities for our students as they look to achieve their goals in becoming professionals throughout the growing health care industry.”
The program ranges from three and a half weeks for Home Health Aide students to nine weeks for those in the Dental Lab Technicians component. The program is funded through an $11.475M Health Profession Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, the largest single grant in SCCC history. The grant award is part of a $320 million initiative under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to strengthen the health care workforce in the United States.
“The needs for more professionals in the health care, hospitality, hi-tech manufacturing and nanoscale science industries in our region continue to grow,” said Denise Murphy McGraw, Chair of the SCCC board of Trustees. “Our HPOG program is just one of many programs we have built and invested into at SCCC, creating opportunities and jobs for students heading into these industries.”
Marilyn Stapleton, Ph.D., Director of the Ellis School of Nursing, delivered the keynote address during the graduation. Also, instructors William Rowe, Roberta France, Margaret Helmes, and Margaret Wickerham conducted a pinning ceremony for those in the CNA program recognizing that those students have taken and passed the statewide CNA exam. All of the graduates received a certificate of completion from Dr. Quintin Bullock, SCCC President.
The College offers training for CNA, Home Health Aide, Personal Care Assistant, Direct Support Professionals and Dental Lab Technicians at the main College campus, at Center City in downtown Schenectady and at two sites in Albany. Students gain hands-on training in labs replicating rooms in a hospital or health care facility with hospital beds and medical equipment, as well as in classrooms.
Through partnerships with Albany Community Action Partnership (ACAP), Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP) and Northeast Parent and Child Society, the project provides education and training for occupations in the health care field to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and low-income individuals with incomes of up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level in upstate New York’s Capital Region.
Since training began in March 2011, more than 625 students have enrolled in training, with 90 percent of those enrolled becoming licensed and 68 percent employed in the health care field. A total of 451 graduates have obtained employment in medical fields the first two and a half years of the grant.
SCCC was one of just four institutions in New York State and one of 32 institutions in the nation to receive the job training funds in October 2010. SCCC received the largest grant award in New York State and the 11th largest grant in the nation.
About Schenectady County Community College
One of the 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, the nation’s largest comprehensive system of higher education, Schenectady County Community College in upstate New York enrolls more than 7,000 students. SCCC offers more than 40 career degree, transfer degree and certificate programs. The College opened its doors for classes in 1969 and continues to provide affordable comprehensive higher education and adult educational opportunities in response to local
educational needs. To learn more, visit www.sunysccc.edu.