Kellogg Community College receives grant for Paramedic Certificate Program

This past February, Kellogg Community College was awarded a grant for $350,000 to help fund Michigan's Emergency Medical Services workforce. 

The Emergency Medical Services Workforce (or EMSW 2023) grant was awarded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The grant will cover the entire cost of the training of as many as 18 students enrolling in the Kellogg Community College Paramedic Certificate Program this academic year.

The scholarships will cover up to $15,000 for each paramedic student, which will take care of the cost of class supplies, textbooks, tuition, and other fees and materials. The grant will also provide students with $1,300 to cover the costs of the tertiary expenses associated with higher education like uniforms, child care, transportation, and other assistive supports. 

In an article from KCC Daily, the EMS Education Program Coordinator Clark Imus was quoted on the grant as saying, “We’re thrilled to be able to offer this grant opportunity to students interested in advancing their EMS careers. The EMSW-2023 grant will provide a significant cost savings to our Paramedic Certificate students, allowing them to focus on their training and their further careers in the field of emergency medical services.”

The scholarships for the program are first-come first-serve for interested students. To be eligible to apply, students must already be licensed EMTs. Interested students have either until the program is full or until June 30 to apply. More information about applying to the program can be found here.

The college also benefits from the grant as it will provide funds for upgrades to the EMS training facility such as a program expansion that will let KCC offer the entire Paramedic Program on the school’s Grahl Center campus in Coldwater. More grant funds will be allocated to a program that will offer counseling and coaching services for students of the Paramedic Program attending in 2023-24.

Tonya Forbes, who serves as the Vice President for Instruction at KCC, noted the impact the grant will have on the program, saying, “This grant is a game changer for our paramedic program and for EMS education in Michigan. By expanding our program offerings and providing additional support services for students, we can help address the critical shortage of paramedics statewide and provide students with the training they need to succeed in this high-demand field.”

The Paramedic Certificate Program at Kellogg Community College is a four-semester program that takes place over the course of 15 months. The program allows hands-on training for EMS professionals who are interested in progressing in their careers through the advancement of their skills. It is one of a handful of laddered EMS credentials in the college’s EMS Program. The school offers the one-course Medical First Responder Certificate Program, the five-course Basic EMT Certificate Program, and the full five-semester Associate in Applied Science in Emergency Medical Services degree program. 

Kellogg Community College also offers Community Integrated Paramedic training, EMS Instructor/Coordinator Certificate training, and UMBC Critical Care Certificate training.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has recently put out a call for competitive proposals for another round of EMSW 2023 grant funding this November. This round of funding will have a focus on creating, operating, and implementing workforce development programs that focus on training skills associated with emergency medical services to combat the statewide shortage in paramedics. 

The $350,000 that Kellogg Community College was awarded is the maximum amount that is available for single applicants. The funds awarded to the school have to be used by the end of this September.

More information about Kellogg Community College can be found at the school’s website.