POLK COUNTY, FL — A $1 million investment from a new Lakeland hospital is aimed at helping train the next generation of healthcare workers as Polk County continues to grow.
Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital is giving Polk State College $1 million over five years to support healthcare education and workforce development.
WATCH: Orlando Health's $1 million gift helps Polk State grow healthcare workforce
For Polk State student Star Arce, the opportunity to work in healthcare is about helping people regain something they may have lost.
Arce is studying to become an occupational therapy assistant and is scheduled to graduate in November.
“I decided that I wanted to do this because it provides the opportunity to bring back the light that people have lost because of strokes or traumatic brain injuries, or things of that sort,” Arce said.
Arce said the hands-on training she has received at Polk State has helped prepare her to enter the profession.
“If I had not gotten the tools that they had provided and all the things that they taught us, I don’t think I would be able to execute it how I am now,” she said.
New Polk State campus will expand healthcare training
The money will support students training at Polk State’s new Haines City-Davenport campus.
The 75,000-square-foot facility is focused on health sciences programs and will include Central Florida’s first public higher education interdisciplinary simulation hospital.
“It being a fully simulated lab hospital training center is going to provide students the ability to work on a cadaver, to work on medical equipment,” Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas said.
The campus is scheduled to open in January.
Preparing for Polk County’s growing healthcare needs
Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital opened its doors in July and employs more than 1,500 people.
Hospital leaders say the partnership with Polk State will help create a pipeline of trained healthcare professionals as Polk County’s population and healthcare needs continue to grow.
“As we continue to grow to meet a community that’s growing at a very fast rate and a healthcare demand that is growing at a fast rate, having a thriving and successful educational program like Polk State does, really allows us to plan ahead for the future needs of this community,” said Carlos Carrasco, president of Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital.
The partnership also builds on an existing relationship between the two organizations. Orlando Health employees can use the college’s Preferred Education Program, which covers the cost of tuition and books for eligible employees pursuing a degree or certificate at Polk State.
Share Your Story with Rebecca
Rebecca Petit is dedicated to telling your stories from every corner of Polk County. She knows how growth has been a major discussion point for the area, and the impact it’s had on some of our most vulnerable populations. You can connect with Rebecca by using the form below.
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