Financial Shot In The Arm For Calaveras County Healthcare Workforce

Calaveras County Office of Education photo

Calaveras County, CA — Calaveras County’s healthcare workforce is getting a much-needed financial shot in the arm.

The county has already been designated a “professional shortage area,” where the ratio of the population to the number of health care providers is over 60% higher than in other California counties, according to county educators. The importance of supporting programs targeting those considering a career in healthcare is recognized by Mark Twain Medical Center (MTMC).

“The CTE program has positively impacted thousands of students and families for over twenty-five years,” states Doug Archer, MTMC President and CEO. “We support the expansion of the CTE program to ensure that all youth in the motherlode region have ample opportunities to pursue a career in technical education and we hope that many more youth can continue to build the future of healthcare for many generations to come.”

For that reason, the hospital has pledged $50,000 annually to support the expansion of Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in the county. County educators relay that the money will help facilitate the goals set by the workforce development initiative emerging in the educational district.

Calaveras Unified Superintendent Mark Campbell shared that “the generous donation by the Mark Twain Medical Center will help us significantly in our efforts to expand the scope of the Calaveras High School Medical/Health Services program. The ultimate objective is to provide expanded access next year to 10th and 11th-grade students. A longer-term plan is to provide access to middle school students, to engage in opportunities to prepare for careers in the health care field”

Recognizing the need to close the healthcare gap in the Motherlode region by increasing educational career pathway opportunities, the CTE group shares its top goal.

“We are seeking more investment partners in the motherlode region to bring this vision to fruition,” details Superintendent of Schools Scott Nanik. He adds, “We need to ‘Grow our Own’ by expanding the healthcare science curriculum at our high schools. MTMC is our inaugural investment partner and the funds donated by MTMC will allow us to strengthen the CTE program and qualify for additional state funding through matched contributions.”