NCCCS Awards $395,000 to Martin Community College's PTA Program

The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) has awarded a $395,000 grant to Martin Community College's Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Program. This high-cost healthcare expansion funding will enhance workforce training in high-demand healthcare occupations like PTA. MCC will create a Wellness Therapy Center for their pro-bono clinic as well as for students, faculty, and staff. In addition, an outdoor walking track will be built to provide an outdoor space for post-injury recovery activities that will be accessible to the public.

Dr. Dean McCall, Director of the PTA Program, says that this grant will "allow us to bolster a health and wellness approach for students, faculty, staff, and the public." Dr. McCall believes that this funding will provide "better healthy living, collaboration opportunities between healthcare programs at MCC and enhance community relations."

Dr. Tabitha R. Miller, President of MCC, understands the evolving environment of critical care and aftercare, saying there is a "landscape for inventive ways" for Physical Therapist Assistants to assist patients. According to Dr. Miller, "The new Wellness Therapy Center will help move patients in our community pro-bono clinic from intake to post-recovery to ensure the patient learns and practices healthy activities for a lifelong journey for wellness." Dr. Miller expresses the college's commitment to serving Martin and Bertie Counties by providing students with the necessary skills for patient care. Dr. Miller adds, "We serve our students with the knowledge that they then bestow on the patients and participants of our center activities while ensuring our students are learning current trends and practices to make them more marketable in the PTA career field."

The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) is committed to developing a skilled healthcare workforce. To support this effort, in 2023 the NC General Assembly approved two allocations for distribution to local community colleges: High-Cost Health-Related Workforce Programs Start-Up Funds and Healthcare Workforce Programs Expansion Funds. These funds are accessed through a competitive grant application process and support programming offered through Curriculum (CU) and Workforce Continuing Education (WCE).