South Florida State College (SFSC) announced that it received $351,549 from the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), created through Florida Statute to serve as the chief health policy and planning organization for the state.

As an institution that provides education and services to rural communities, SFSC created Rural Care Connect (RCC) to create pathways in five academic programs by strengthening three programs that currently exist at the College and by developing two new programs. The three programs that will be bolstered through grant funding are Nursing Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Electrocardiography Technology (EKG). The two programs that will be created with the financial support of the grant are Central Sterile Processing Technology and Emergency Medical Responder.

“The application process was highly competitive, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to help expand access to quality healthcare in rural communities,” said Dr. Kathleen Cappo, dean of health sciences at SFSC. “This grant allows SFSC to be part of a meaningful statewide effort to address healthcare needs in rural Florida, and we look forward to seeing the impact that SFSC and our fellow award recipients will have in the communities we serve.”

SFSC has included community partners, such as AdventHealth, CareerSource Heartland, Mosaic, and Who We Play For, in the development of the five academic programs serving our rural district.

For more information about the programs supported by the RHTP grant, contact Danielle Nuccio, health sciences advisor, at 863-784-7027 or danielle.nuccio@southflorida.edu.