(Washington D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA) announced a major investment for Edmonds Community College to help train
local low-income individuals for careers in health care. Murray has been a leader in the Senate in working to
make the necessary investments to help Washington state communities train
workers and create jobs in the health care sector.
“There are open health care jobs,” said Senator
Murray. “We just need to get people the skills to fill them. This
funding will help Edmonds Community College provide those struggling to find
work the skills necessary to care for local seniord and families, assist in our
hospitals, and begin a career in one of our state’s fastest growing industries.
If we are going to put our state back to work we have to focus on smart
targeted investments like this one that put job-seekers in a position to succeed.”
The funding that Edmonds Community College will receive
will provide local low-income individuals with successful training programs for
a variety of healthcare professions, including: home care aides, certified
nursing assistants, medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, emergency medical
technicians, licensed vocational nurses, registered nurses, dental assistants,
and health information technicians. Edmonds
Community College can also use the funding for supportive services such as
transportation, dependent care, and temporary housing.
“Not only will we be
able to train low-income adults in Snohomish County to fill critical jobs in
health care, we will start them on the path to advanced careers in the health
sciences,” said Edmonds Community
College President Jack Oharah. “This grant gives us access to an
innovative way to use technology to offer training and meet employers’ needs.
It will be a new model for Washington state. We very much appreciate Senator
Murray’s support, not only of this grant, but also her long-standing support
for higher education in Washington.”