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New HCA grant will help Parrish Community High School students enter health care careers

By
Published  December 12, 2024 5:00pm EST
Manatee County
FOX 13 News

Getting hands-on experience in health care

FOX 13's Kim Kuizon reports on how Parrish Community High School students in Manatee County are getting hands-on experience towards a future in health care through a grant to expand the high school's health care academy.

PARRISH, Fla. - Students at Parrish Community High School in Manatee County are getting hands-on experience as they work towards a future in health care. A grant is now helping expand the high school's health care academy, allowing some students the opportunity to become certified in some health care fields by next year. 

Sarah Prohidney is one of those students, and it's helping her work toward her goal of a career in health care, allowing her to follow in her mother's footsteps. 

"I think it’s really good for first-hand experience, we have clinical experiences set up everywhere," she said.

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Parrish Community High School’s Allied Health class provides real-life experience with an RN for a teacher and clinical stations. 

"Coming to Parrish, I saw how amazing and interactive this program is, and it really motivated me to stick with this," said Prohidney. 

The program will expand thanks to a $60,000 grant from the HCA Healthcare Foundation. With the grant, students could obtain certifications for health care roles, like patient care technicians, phlebotomy and EKGs.

"These students are our future," said Cathy Edmisten, the CEO of HCA Florida South Shore Hospital. "They will help us build our workforce, and they’ll take care of our communities."

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While some students will continue on in higher education, the grant’s goal is to help others go straight into the workforce. 

"There is always a shortage. Always a job demand, in every career pathway you could possibly think of, there’s so many choices, something for everyone and their excitement in class," said April Thornton, a nurse and health educator. 

Thornton sees a bright future for the students she teaches through the program. 

"There aren’t words to say how important this grant is," Thornton said. "My background is through HCA, that’s where I started. It’s really cool to be able to bring that into the classroom and now to be able to teach them what I learned and have them exit high school with the potential to walk out into the field right off the bat. It’s incredible."

The possibilities for students like Prohidney are endless. 

"It’s an amazing opportunity, and I’m excited to see other students pursue in our path and continue through the medical program to get to this allied health and have these opportunities this grant has provided for us," she said. 

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