Nursing Career Ladder Program Helps to Move Participants Out of Poverty
Jun 25, 2009
Michelle Perez, Deborah Fleming, and Alexis Roland, single mothers are fighting to get out of poverty for the betterment of their children. Perez, Fleming and Roland were among 39 New Yorkers who upon graduation will be guaranteed an LPN job at one of the city’s public hospitals. All were joined by their families at the graduation ceremony and are available for photos and interviews. The graduation from the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO)/HHC Nursing Career Ladder program was held June 25 at the Mid-Manhattan Adult Learning Center, in Manhattan.
The program trains and certifies students as Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) in less than one year. It not only responds to the nursing shortage, but it has also proved to be a promising anti-poverty initiative under CEO. When participants begin the career ladder program they are earning not more than 130 percent of the federal poverty line (less than $25,000 for a family of four), but as LPN’s they earn $40,300 as starting salaries. The program graduates licensed practical nurses in 11 months, compared to the traditional programs that take two years, and offers intensive instruction, hands-on training, and personalized support to achieve very high retention and completion rates. Including these graduates, 78 participants have graduated from the training.
“I was a Medical Assistant unable to make ends meet before this opportunity came,” said Michelle Perez, 29. “I have three children and one has ADD. Not only did the teachers support me in reaching my goal of becoming an LPN, they helped me get the care and education my child needed. Before I got the phone call inviting me to apply, I had given up my dream of becoming a nurse.”
“I was a Correction Officer and going through a major burden but nursing was my passion. This is a blessing, a dream come true. My three children, one who suffers from asthma, are so proud of me, it’s good for the whole family,” said Deborah Fleming, 29. “I am grateful every day for the supportive staff who taught me how to be a better person.”
“Before I joined the program I had a bunch of unprofitable jobs. I have four boys and getting my LPN guarantees them a better future. I always wanted to be in a medical field and becoming an RN is my main goal,” said Alexis Roland, 30.
The Nurse Career Ladder initiative, a collaboration with CEO, the NYC Office of Adult and Continuing Education and Coler-Goldwater, offers accelerated LPN training to 40 low income New Yorkers annually.
“It’s a great program and we want to get the word out to more New Yorkers who could benefit from it,” said La’Shawn Williams, Program Director for HHC. New Yorkers who want to know more about the nursing program and are interested in applying can call 212-442-3768 or 311 for more information.
Contact: Ian Michaels (HHC) (212) 788-3339.
About HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us on facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.