For Immediate Release
Central Alabama Community College Awarded Over $1 Million for Rural Healthcare Initiative
ALEXANDER CITY, AL – April 10, 2024 – Central Alabama Community College (CACC) is honored to announce the receipt of a substantial grant of $1,016,997.44, aimed at bolstering healthcare education and workforce development in rural areas. This funding, provided through the Alabama Community College System from the 2024 Alabama Centers for Rural Healthcare Opportunity appropriation, is set to significantly expand opportunities for health science students and enhance the healthcare workforce pipeline across the state.
President Jeff Lynn expressed his enthusiasm for the grant: “We are incredibly grateful and excited to receive this generous grant, representing a transformative opportunity for CACC and our surrounding communities. This funding will enable us to enhance our health science programs, providing vital resources and training to produce highly skilled healthcare professionals ready to meet the demands of rural healthcare settings.”
The grant will support the development and expansion of CACC’s health science programs, including initiatives that address the unique challenges of rural healthcare delivery. It will also facilitate the creation of new partnerships with local healthcare providers, offering students hands-on, real-world experience in various medical settings.
Michael Barnette, Dean of Workforce and Economic Development Programs at CACC, highlighted the grant’s impact: “This funding is a game-changer for our health science education and workforce development efforts. It allows us to increase our training capacity and innovate how we deliver education and support services, ensuring our students are well-prepared to serve in rural healthcare environments.”
The grant aims to provide comprehensive support for health science students, including career coaching, placement services, and access to essential resources like childcare and transportation, ensuring that barriers to education and career advancement are minimized.
CACC’s commitment to enhancing healthcare education and addressing the workforce needs in rural Alabama is at the forefront of this initiative. This grant will empower the college to train a new generation of healthcare professionals, directly contributing to improving health outcomes in rural communities across the state.
For more information about the new nursing and science wing and CACC’s range of programs, please visit www.cacc.edu.
Media Contact:
Scott Hardy
Director of Institutional Advancement, Government Affairs, and Public Relations
Central Alabama Community College
shardy@cacc.edu
256-496-2450