Nine bilingual area residents have finished a four-month course to prepare them to work in the new Lakeside Health Care Assistant program.
The goal was to provide men and women of Lakeside the opportunity to learn or improve health care skills required for employment in private homes or nursing care facilities, medical offices and home health agencies.
A core team of expat registered nurses set the goals and developed the curriculum, lab and lecture experiences for the 16 weeks of classes.
Nurses Mary Anne Molinari, Jackie Kellum, Dona Hall, James Flynn, George Allen and Phil Rylett recognized a need for trained personnel to meet the temporary and chronic health care requirements of the increasing elderly English-speaking population in the area.
The nurses also served as the teachers and ended up correcting papers and writings tests for the group.
Among the topics covered in the lectures, demonstrations, homework and clinical practice were correct hygiene practices, professionalism, infection prevention, wound care, ambulation and medication administration.
A celebratory reception for the nine new health care assistants is being held on Sunday, May 31 in El Parque.