The American Red Cross will help 2,500 students across the U.S. receive training for entry-level healthcare careers through the Red Cross Nurse Assistant Training (NAT) program thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation.
The program is available in Bethel, Bridgeport, East Hartford, Waterbury, New Haven and more than 100 other locations in 18 states. It equips students and helps give them a career pathway into the fast-growing industry, while also helping communities like ours alleviate a shortage of adequately trained Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs).
The $3.5 million grant for the training, which primarily will help women below the poverty line, is the first credential-specific training grant Walmart has awarded as part of their Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative.
The Red Cross training program supports the goals of Walmart’s Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative, one of which is to help 200,000 U.S. women from low-income households’ access job training, education, career counseling, and mentoring to increase their employment opportunities. More information on this initiative can be found at corporate.walmart.com/women.
“Walmart is making it possible for Connecticut residents to get a solid foundation and a head start in the healthcare field through our Nurse Assistant Training course,” said Stacey Lucibello, program manager in a press release. “This will make such an impact—as many as 10 times the number of annual graduates from our program would like to take the course but cannot afford to do so.”
Members from the community interested in taking an NAT course should call Samantha Pannone at (203)787-6722 ext.227 to find out about grant qualifications.
Red Cross NAT instructors equip students with the skills required to become CNAs and provide basic care such as feeding, dressing, bathing and monitoring patients so they can work in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living, hospitals and in-home health care. The program also offers a distinct emphasis on professionalism, punctuality and a commitment towards work.