Northampton County Area Community College

Amount Appropriated?

$2.7M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

Shortages among the healthcare workforce were well-established and acknowledged prior to the COVID-19 pandemic; the burnout, trauma, and stress experienced by these frontline workers since 2020, has driven many to resignation or early retirement and has pushed these shortages to a critical level. \n\nIn addition to workforce shortages, other critical needs were also brought to light or worsened by the pandemic. Having an adequate number of clinical sites available for students, challenging at the best of times, was made more difficult by the pandemic. Clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients using respiratory therapy and cardiac sonography are segments of patient care that are growing dramatically, in part due to COVID-19. Issues that were simmering at or below the surface of healthcare industry needs, exploded during the pandemic and are demanding to be addressed; the serious inadequacies in the treatment of people of color in the healthcare setting, long known and acknowledged inside those communities, were only recently brought into the broader public conversation. Improvement of NCC\u2019s facilities and the implementation of new degree and credential programs will address each of these issues through comprehensive and inclusive learning experiences for NCC students.