The Hostos Division for Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) was recently awarded a three-year federal grant of $595,636  from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) Skills Training and Health Workforce Development of Paraprofessionals Program. This new funding complements the current Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) Allied Health Career Pipeline program funded by the Administration for Children & Families.

“The latest grant award is another milestone for Hostos Community College,” Dana J. Lennon, Program Director for the Allied Health Career Pipeline said. “The award allows Hostos to provide low-income individuals with free allied health trainings, supportive services and job placement assistance.  This grant is for people to educate themselves with a skill that will be used to help support their families.  Hostos is renowned for supporting the South Bronx, and training the community which results in a boost for the economy of New York City.”

The emphasis of the Pipeline Program is to encourage participants to focus on long-term career goals. Graduates of the Pipeline Program will receive career and academic counseling for admission to Hostos’ LPN certificate, RN and allied health career associate degree programs.

Entering its fifth year, the grant will disburse $198,545 annually to continue to provide certificate training and job placement for persons at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level.

These individuals include single mothers, displaced workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits, domestic violence shelter residents, military veterans and TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) recipients.

The Allied Health Career Pipeline Program is achieving more than 100 job placements each year.  

The principal investigator for this new HCOP grant is Evelyn Fernández-Ketcham, the Executive Director of Workforce Development. Other members of the grant team included Dana J. Lennon (Program Director), Joan Falcetta (Database Manager) Lourdes Torres (Grants Officer), and David Conroy (Grant Writer).

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique "Student Success Coaching Unit" provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.  

Recently named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 480,000 students at 24 colleges.