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Sunshine Health scholarships will pay for 60 CNA/Home Health Aide certifications at Tallahassee Community College Gadsden

Date: 01/27/20

Tallahassee, Florida

Tallahassee Community College’s (TCC) Gadsden Center and Sunshine Health are teaming up to provide 60 Gadsden County residents with full scholarships to earn a post-secondary credential in short-term healthcare programs. The programs that will be targeted are Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide, two fields in high demand in Gadsden County and statewide.

The Gadsden Connect program is a pilot project that provides scholarships to eligible residents to offset the costs of the Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide certification programs. The 60 scholarships cover the cost of tuition, uniforms and the industry recognized exams. The classes will be offered throughout the 2020 calendar year.

Sunshine Health Senior Vice President of Compliance Tamela Perdue presented the check at the TCC Gadsden Center on Jan. 27.

“These scholarships will not only help fill a critical shortage of healthcare workers in this area, but they also provide a new career pathway for these students,” said Perdue. “We are helping this generation and future generations in Gadsden County.”

The Nursing Assistant program requires 120 clock hours. The Home Health Aide program requires 165 clock hours. Both programs have a direct path to employment.  People interested in enrolling in the program should plan to attend an information session, which are held at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday at the TCC Gadsden Center located at 223 Pat Thomas Parkway, Quincy.

“Meeting the workforce needs of our community is a top priority for TCC,” stated Kimberly A. Moore, VP for Workforce Innovation and TCC2WORK. “We believe that through partnerships with companies like Sunshine Health, who have made a commitment to giving back in a meaningful way to support the communities that they serve, is critical. We applaud them for their leadership and for the investment in Gadsden County that will change the lives of those trained and the lives of those served by those who have been trained.”

Sunshine Health serves more than 1 million Floridians through Medicaid, Marketplace and Medicare Advantage health plans.

Learn more about the scholarships.

Senior Vice President of Compliance Tamela Perdue, bottom left, presents a check to TCC’s Gadsden Center on Jan. 27. Pictured top from left: Heather Mitchell, TCC Foundation VP of Institutional Advancement Education; Donna Callaway, TCC District Board of Trustees member;  Eugene Lamb, Chair of TCC District Board of Trustees; Jim Murdaugh, TCC President; Tamela Perdue, Sunshine Health Senior Vice President of Compliance; Kimberly Moore, Tallahassee Community College Vice President for Workforce Innovation & TCC2WORK; and Kim Kelling, President of the TCC Foundation.

Pictured with Perdue bottom right: Demicia Boles-Carter, of Quincy, one of the scholarship recipients.