NMC Acting President and Vice President for Administration and Advancement Frankie Eliptico, right, meets with NMC Nursing Department Chair Rosa T. Aldan, center, and NMC nursing instructor Johnny Aldan, left, in one of the nursing classrooms to discuss plans to secure additional construction funding for a new regional healthcare training center. Through the assistance of Congressman Kilili, the college was able to obtain congressional funding for the architectural and engineering design for a healthcare training center.
TO help increase the number of healthcare workers in the CNMI, Northern Marianas College is aiming to build a regional healthcare training facility.
Through the assistance of U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan’s office, the college was able to obtain funds from a direct U.S. congressional earmark to pay for the architectural and engineering design of the planned healthcare training center.
The funding was earmarked under the 2022 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act as requested by Congressman Kilili.
According to the appropriation legislation, “This project would support the architectural and engineering design of the planned Healthcare Training Center at Northern Marianas College. The Healthcare Training Center will help meet the nation’s increasing need for health care workers as well as in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Full architectural and engineering design drawings are the first step towards the development of the Healthcare Training Center.”
The college is now seeking funds for the construction portion of the new facility.
The college has already secured an Economic Development Administration grant to build a Workforce Development Center that would house the institution’s nursing program. The EDA-funded building will also house the college’s business department, the Community Development Institute, the Small Business Development Center, and other programs.
However, the pandemic and other trends in healthcare have increased the need for more medical training programs for laboratory technicians, medical technicians, physical therapists, radiology technicians, and dental hygienists to name a few.
The increasing need in healthcare workers is supported by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which states that employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow 15% from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 2.4 million new jobs nationally. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups.
NMC Acting President and Vice President for Administration and Advancement Frankie Eliptico said: “The pandemic has increased the need for healthcare professionals in the CNMI and the region. We hope this regional training center can assist in creating a pipeline in creating workers for our hospital and private clinics.”
Eliptico said he has had preliminary conversations with representatives from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. about the planned facility. He also indicated that the college will engage all stakeholders in the planning and design of the facility.
“We thank Congressman Kilili and his team for helping to secure funding for this important project,” Eliptico said.
