Councilmember Julie Won presents LaGuardia Community College with a $5 million check that will go toward training frontline healthcare professionals (Photo courtesy of LaGuardia Community College)
Nov. 29, 2022 By Czarinna Andres
LaGuardia Community College aims to educate and train 3,000 students over the next five years to become frontline healthcare professionals.
To that end, Councilmember Julie Won presented the school with a $5 million check this morning that will go toward upgrading and expanding the workforce training facilities at LaGuardia’s Long Island City campus. The $5 million includes an allocation of $3 million from Won and $2 million from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
The investment will help the college expand its capacity to provide hands-on education and various programs that require specialized equipment and facilities, such as Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Paramedic, EMT, and other healthcare fields.
“We are grateful to Council Member Julie Won and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams for securing $5 million in funding in support of LaGuardia’s healthcare education and training facilities,” said Kenneth Adams, president of LaGuardia Community College. “This support enables us to launch ‘3,000 Heroes,’ which is LaGuardia’s commitment to train and graduate 3,000 frontline healthcare workers over the next five years.”
Won said the healthcare programs not only fulfill a great need, but they also provide graduating students with the prospect of economic security.
“LaGuardia Community College is the home to 23,000 scholars in which 88 percent are students of color,” Won said. “LaGuardia offers a pathway for socioeconomic mobility for working class students, many who are first generation college students. That is why I advocated to secure $5 million in funding.”
Adams agreed that the $5 million investment is well worth it.
“To confront the shortage of frontline healthcare professionals in our city, it is critical that we invest in training and educational programs for our future essential workers,” Adams said in a statement. “Through LaGuardia Community College’s ‘3,000 Heroes’ initiative, students will benefit from hands-on learning and support to enter a vital field that offers stability and robust opportunities.”
For many years, LaGuardia has been a leader in New York City in the training of healthcare professionals. Its Nursing Program, for example, is continuously ranked #1 in the region based on licensing exam pass rates.
Enrollment in LaGuardia’s programs leading to healthcare industry certifications has increased 30 percent since 2018, according to the college.
Now, in response to the critical shortage of frontline healthcare workers across the city, LaGuardia plans to increase the number of students in healthcare training programs. Through its new campaign, “3,000 Heroes,” LaGuardia aims to graduate 3,000 frontline healthcare workers by 2027.
The college is offering 10 academic and workforce training programs, which will yield an average of 600 graduates per year over the next five years. The programs are Nursing, Licensed Practical Nurse, EMT, Paramedic, Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, Mental Health Peer Specialist, Community Healthcare Worker, Central Service Technician, Pharmacy Technician, and Medical Interpreter.
Individuals interested in these programs should visit the LaGuardia website.
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