OhioMeansJobs Champaign County has partnered with Clark State College to expand new and existing career pathways in the rural healthcare sector that focuses on the skills, competencies, and credentials needed for middle to high-skilled direct patient healthcare occupations; offer high-quality training options; provide support services to participants; and engage healthcare providers and employers.

OhioMeansJobs Champaign County has been awarded an H1-B Rural Healthcare grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. Only 7 counties in Ohio received this grant.

The purpose of this program is to increase the number of individuals training in healthcare occupations that directly impact patient care. One of OhioMeansJobs' goals is to alleviate workforce shortages by creating sustainable employment and training and this grant does just that in the healthcare field. 

“OhioMeansJobs Champaign County is excited to have received this grant to serve our community members and businesses,” said Amy Sherman, workforce supervisor at Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services. “We would like to encourage anyone that is interested in a career change, advancing their career or already enrolled in an eligible training to contact us. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Clark State College and support their students with this grant.”

Eligible Clark State programs include:

Nursing, Practical Nursing, Nursing Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technology, EMT, Paramedic, Phlebotomy, Social Services Technologies, Chemical Dependency, Addiction and Recovery Services, Physical Therapy Assistant, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Radiographic Imaging and Pharmacy Technician

Melody Gast, Clark State's Career Services Coordinator, said this grant provides financial assistance to eligible students for training, resources, paid work experiences, and other types of support that may be needed to complete their training. Students not residing in Champaign County are also eligible.

"Clark State is focused on providing high-quality education that emphasize student and community success,” said Gast. “We are thrilled to partner with OhioMeansJobs Champaign County to assist our students reach their healthcare career goals.” 

More information is available by emailing: careers@clarkstate.edu