Building Pathways to a Brighter Future
Workforce Investment Board SDA-83, Inc.
Northeast Louisiana Professional Healthcare Opportunities—Careers and Support Project II (PHOCAS-II)
Location: Monroe, LA
OTHER GRANT INFORMATION
Six-Year Project Period: September 30, 2015 - September 29, 2021*
Annual Award Amount: $2,770,000
Type of Organization: Nonprofit with 501(c)(3) IRS status (other than Institution of Higher Education)
Service Area: Eleven parishes (counties) known as the Northeast Louisiana Delta: East Carroll, Madison, Tensas, Franklin, Richland, Jackson, Caldwell, West Carroll, Morehouse, Union, and Ouachita
Target Population: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other low-income individuals
FIVE-YEAR QUANTIFIABLE PROJECTIONS
Number of individuals that will be enrolled in the overall HPOG program: 800
Number of TANF recipients that will be enrolled: 230
Number of individual participants that will begin basic skills education: 300
Number of individual participants that will complete basic skills education: 230
Number of participants that will begin any healthcare occupational training: 800
Number of participants that will complete any healthcare occupational training: 600
Number of individual participants that will obtain employment in a healthcare occupation: 600
ABSTRACT
Workforce Development Board SDA-83, Inc., established the Northeast Louisiana Professional Healthcare Opportunities—Careers and Support Project-II (PHOCAS-II). PHOCAS-II identifies and recruits eligible participants, performs assessments, guides development of service strategies to assist with the attainment of basic skills and needed remedial and/or enrichment education, and provides education and training for careers in the healthcare sector.
Using educational providers, PHOCAS-II offers healthcare sector education and training that yield employer- and industry-recognized certificates or degrees, combined with intense case management and supportive services. Program participants are assisted with academic supports, childcare, transportation assistance, tuition assistance and other financial support, work readiness, and job placement. Occupational training is provided for the following in-demand positions: Health Educator, Pharmacist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Kinesiotherapist, Registered Nurse, Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician, Dental Hygienist, Radiologic Technologist, EKG Technician, Paramedic, Respiratory Therapy Technician, Licensed and Vocational Nurse, Medical Insurance Coder, Medical Records and Health Information Technician, Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Phlebotomist, Medical Receptionist and Information Clerk, Medical Office Clerk/Secretary, and Emergency Medical Technician. Educational partners include Louisiana Delta Community College, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and a host of other educational providers. The NELA Healthcare Alliance, comprising regional healthcare employers, are WDB-83 partners. The success of PHOCAS-II is attributed to the continued collaboration among the TANF agency (Department of Children and Family Services), the Louisiana Workforce Council (the state WIB), and the Louisiana Office of Apprenticeship, which began in PHOCAS-I. PHOCAS-II is in the process of working with a long-term care facility needing to certify some current employees as Certified Nursing Assistants. Most likely this will be as a customized training, but the employer and community college are open to a Certified Nursing Assistants Apprenticeship.
*This second round of grant awards has been extended an additional 12 months, ending September 29, 2021.