City Launches Health Aide Training Program To Assist in COVID-19 Relief - SBS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 1, 2020

CITY LAUNCHES HEALTH AIDE TRAINING PROGRAM TO ASSIST IN COVID-19 RELIEF

NEW YORK — NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Jonnel Doris announced the launch of the Home Health Aide (HHA) Training Program to support the City's long-term care sector during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. The program is an online, no-cost training that prepares New Yorkers with the necessary skills to care for individuals in their homes, under the supervision of nursing and medical staff.

"New Yorkers work best when we work together. This program is a step to ensure every community is well equipped and supported as we continue to work to reopen our City," said Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. "As we navigate towards a brighter future, we must take a moment now to assess and react to our residents' most pressing needs for quality healthcare providers."

This program will be delivered in partnership with the New York City College of Technology, City College of New York, the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare and PHI. Upon successful completion of the training program, achieving certification, and passing any required pre-employment screenings, participants will be hired by home care agency employer partners.

The first training will start the week of June 8 and end the week of June 29, with classes Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., covering 100 hours of material. The training program will include required topics from the New York State Department of Health HHA curriculum and includes enhancements developed by PHI.

HHAs are the fastest growing occupation in New York State with nearly 150,000 HHAs in NYC alone. HHAs help patients who cannot live independently in their homes. They provide personal care to clients, including supporting them with activities of daily living, such as general housekeeping, meal preparation, bathing, dressing, and grooming. HHAs may also provide routine health tasks like checking vital signs, changing bandages, and dressing wounds. Most HHAs are employed by home care agencies and work in private homes although some may work in other long-term care settings.

Although no prior experience is required for this program, individuals interested in applying must read on a 6th grade level - HSED/HSD diploma is not necessary.

Interested candidates should visit nyc.gov/healthcaretraining to learn more and apply.

"The need for home health aides is greater than ever before," said J. Phillip Thompson, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives and Co-Chair of the Racial Inclusion and Equity Task Force. "This program will not only ensure our most vulnerable populations get the care they need, but will also provide program participants from communities hardest hit by this pandemic with jobs and training that will help them build a lasting career."

"The City's long-term care sector was hit particularly hard by COVID-19," said Russ Hotzler, New York City College of Technology President. "This is an essential program, now and going forward. We are proud to be a partner in it."

"HHAs care for our most vulnerable New Yorkers and are an essential part of NYC's healthcare workforce," said Sarah Nusbaum, NYACH's Director of Initiatives and Investments. "In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Home Health Aide Training Program will ensure that home care agencies have staff they need to ensure continuity of care while providing jobs for New Yorkers who want to support their communities during this time."

"We're thrilled to partner with the City College of New York and the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare to launch this historic virtual training that will create a more robust pipeline of home health aides throughout New York City," said Jodi M. Sturgeon, PHI President. "This training program responds to the COVID-19 crisis by designing a training approach that any potential home care worker can access, without relaxing well-established training standards that have historically ensured workers develop the rights mix of skills, knowledge, and confidence to succeed in these roles."

"The partnership between SBS and CCNY is a win-win to address the critical shortage of Home Health Aides within this pandemic," said Sharon Mackey-McGee, Executive Director, Continuing and Professional Studies at City College. "We are grateful to SBS for their leadership in this role and for choosing the flagship CCNY as one of the training providers."

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY's annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the "for dollar" return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.

About City Tech (New York City College of Technology)
City Tech, of The City University of New York, is the largest four-year public college of technology in the Northeast and a national model for technological education. City Tech has an enrollment of more than 17,000 students in 29 baccalaureate and 27 associate degree programs and was recently ranked ninth among more than 2,000 U.S. institutions in overall economic mobility for its students (equality-of-opportunity.org). For more information, visit citytech.cuny.edu.

About the New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare
The New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH) is the healthcare industry partnership at SBS. Formed in 2011 as a public-private partnership, NYACH works with key players across the healthcare landscape on economic and workforce development to create a better future for NYC's healthcare sector, its workers, and the people it serves. In partnership with government, industry associations, organized labor, healthcare providers, educational institutions and CBOs, NYACH works to identify and address pressing challenges with an eye towards long-term systems change.

About PHI
PHI is a national research, advocacy, and workforce interventions organization focused on strengthening the direct care workforce. As the nation's leading authority on the direct care workforce, PHI promotes quality direct care jobs as the foundation for quality care.

About the Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information, visit nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.