A $5 million federal grant was awarded to a coalition of Michigan community colleges to meet the demands of the ever-growing healthcare field

The Michigan Coalition for Accelerated Healthcare Pathways (MCAHP) is a group led by Grand Rapids Community College that brings together community colleges, healthcare employers, healthcare industry organizations, and regional workforce development organizations. GRCC submitted an application and was recently approved for a $5 million federal Strengthening Community Colleges Training Program grant from the Department of Labor to establish the MCAHP. The abstract for the grant proposal sets out goals to make community colleges more responsive to the needs of healthcare employers in their areas by developing new programs to graduate more qualified healthcare professionals through degree and certification programs. The proposal also spelled out goals that expand partnerships between community colleges and career training organizations. The overarching goal is to create a network that will more efficiently graduate a higher number of healthcare professionals by pooling resources, improving communication between organizations, and make programs more accessible to students across the state.

GRCC formed MCAHP with Muskegon, Alpena, Lansing, and Oakland community colleges. Each college is responsible for meeting with local hospitals and healthcare providers to identify the most pressing needs of the healthcare system in terms of staff. The colleges will then expand or develop degree and certification programs that meet the most pressing staffing needs. Classes will be taught virtually, meaning students from any of the participating colleges can take advantage of the programs. In addition to helping the colleges determine which programs will be offered, the local hospitals and healthcare facilities will provide clinical space for the hands-on portions of the training and degree programs.

Muskegon Community College recently published a release that provides details about its role in the coalition. After consulting with Mercy Health and Spectrum Health, MCC focused on developing both a surgical tech program (to begin in Fall 2021) and a phlebotomy program (to begin in Fall 2022). Under the arrangement, each college will be responsible for hiring the teaching staff needed, although the cost of salaries will be shared between them. The five year grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor will fund the formation of these programs. After the development period it is expected that the programs will be self-sustaining. The collaborative nature of the MCAHP is what distinguishes it from other programs. As MCC Vice President for Academic Affairs Kelley Conrad said, "The cooperation and synergy between several community colleges and healthcare employers is exciting. This grant enables MCC to create new opportunities for our students to prepare for high-demand careers in healthcare. Through this grant and the partnerships, MCC is building programs that will very quickly benefit our students and our community."

Although the other colleges have not yet announced what degree specializations will be pursued through the arrangement, Grand Rapids Community College did provide a release about the grant. In it, GRCC President Bill Pink said, "We are proud to be part of an area-wide effort to help our region recover from the pandemic, and provide residents with new skills that can get them started in a growing field that is especially important in West Michigan. We are grateful that the Department of Labor is supporting this work."