ELKINS — A local agency has been awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to provide short-term workforce training.
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded the Randolph County Housing Authority $1,544,884 through its new Targeted Health Instruction of North Central West Virginia educational program.
“The Randolph County Housing Authority is excited to be awarded this Rural Workforce Program grant from HRSA,” RCHA Supportive Services Program Manager Jennifer Griggs told The Inter-Mountain Monday.
“Without the support from our partner network in North Central WV, this grant award would not have been possible. This workforce training is focused on providing short-term training, allowing a participant to enter the workforce quickly.”
The Targeted Health Instruction of North Central West Virginia educational program will be available regionally in Randolph, Upshur, Tucker, Lewis, Webster and Barbour counties.
New classes that will be available through the program include Clinical Medical Assistant, Community Health Worker, Behavioral Health Technician, Billing and Coding, and Electronic Health Records.
“We are developing new classes to expand our offerings that we have had with Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College,” Griggs said. “We will also be developing a curriculum with Davis & Elkins College for the Behavioral Health Technician and Community Health Worker classes.”
The program will allow more than 250 people to access medical training during a three-year grant period. The THINC program will also focus on training at least 80 individuals already working in the medical field with the desire to obtain new skills and a non-entry level position.
“We are looking for the development of the classes so people can start enrolling in the spring semester of 2023,” Griggs said. “Those usually start in January, so right now we are using this time as a planning period to make sure we have everything we need to meet the requirements, as well as the curriculum so that students can start enrolling for the spring semester. Over the three-year grant period our goal is to train at least 250 people.”
Davis Health Systems, Youth Health Services, Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, Workforce West Virginia and the Human Resources Development Fund are among the community organizations that are helping bring the classes to the state by being a part of the RCHA’s network.
“Davis Health System is honored to be a part of the Rural Public Health Workforce Training Network Program,” Davis Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Catherine Chua said.
“This is a unique opportunity to invest in our healthcare workers. HRSA funding will support initiatives to cross-train existing healthcare workers and allow curriculum development and advanced clinical learning opportunities for students preparing to meet the increasing healthcare needs of north central West Virginia.”
Since the summer of 2021, the RCHA has been offering classes as part of its WORC program. Twenty-seven students have received medical certifications or other accreditations in a variety of fields through the program.
“Davis & Elkins College is honored to partner with the Randolph County Housing Authority, Davis Health System and Youth Health Services to provide the educational component for the training of community health workers and behavioral health technicians for our region,” Chris A. Wood, president of Davis & Elkins College, said.
“The classes offered through Davis & Elkins College will provide critical training and skills for participants to move into good jobs and meet a community need within the healthcare field. Working collaboratively with our partner organizations, we are committed to improving both opportunity and the quality of life in this community.”
The RCHA is one of 31 community-based organizations nationwide that are being awarded nearly $46 that was distributed by HRSA. The funds will be used to expand public health clinical and operational capacity through workforce development.
For more information about the program, contact Griggs at 304-636-6495 (ext. 138) or by email at jgriggs@rchawv.org.
