With the snip of the scissors, four allied health professions now have their own teaching and lab facility in Delgado’s new building in downtown Covington. Delgado Community College’s new Chancellor Dr. Ron Wright cut the ribbon for the new Northshore Allied Health teaching facility located at 500 N. Theard St. across from the Justice Center.

Interim Northshore Dean Ashley Chitwood said, “This moment has been six years in the making. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a state to get a lease.”

Chitwood said that from two classrooms of students, the Northshore Delgado campus has grown to three buildings, 55 faculty members, 150 course offerings and over 1,000 students — all in downtown Covington — over the past six years.

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The four programs to be housed at the central location site include veterinary tech, pharmacy tech, surgery tech, respiratory tech, a biology lab and lecture classroom.

Instead of traveling to different sites for classes and labs, students will now be able to attend their programs in a self-contained facility, custom renovated with state-of-the-art lab equipment and classrooms partially funded by Careers That Heal.

Donna Spiers, instructor of surgical technology, said the new facility will be much more convenient for students and faculty, providing a single, central location for classes.

The programs are popular with students because they provide a viable career opportunity without a four-year degree. The career training offers students entry into fields that pays more than minimum wage and can offer opportunities for advancement. In addition, if a student decides to continue for a four-year college program, the training can easily provide an income while in college.

Stacy Bonnaffons of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, formerly the Department of Labor, said the facility is an example of how the state is making strides to build and develop a workforce through growth of training programs.

The need of healthcare workers after Katrina and Rita has been great, and this collaborative effort shows a commitment to economic development, said Robin Keegan of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. The goal is to train 800 to 1,000 people in allied healthcare fields, and this facility will help provide this for the area, she said.

A $6 million Community Development Block Grant, received through the Recovery Workforce Training Program established by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, funds the programs. Delgado is one of several training providers supported by GNO, Inc. as fiscal intermediary and St. Tammany Healthcare Alliance as key advocate for the Careers That Heal program.

The Careers That Heal program represents healthcare training offered at reduced cost for high demand occupations by recruiting and allied health/nursing training in a 10-parish area.