San Andreas, CA… Calaveras county has been designated a ‘professional shortage area’, where the ratio of the population to the number of health care providers is over 60% higher than in other California counties. Local stakeholder, Mark Twain Medical Center (MTMC), recognizes the importance of supporting the programs offered to youth who are considering a career in healthcare.

MTMC has pledged $50,000 annually to support the expansion of Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in Calaveras county. This support will help facilitate the goals set by the workforce development initiate emerging in our educational district.

The CTE group of seasoned education administrators and business developers recognizes the substantial need to close the healthcare gap in the motherlode region by increasing educational career pathway opportunities. Seeking investment partners is a top goal set by the group.

“We need to ‘Grow our Own’ by expanding the healthcare science curriculum at our high schools. MTMC is our inaugural investment partner and the funds donated by MTMC will allow us to strengthen the CTE program and qualify for additional state funding through matched contributions,” said Superintendent of Schools Scott Nanik. Nanik added, “we are seeking more investment partners in the motherlode region to bring this vision to fruition.”

Doug Archer, MTMC President and CEO, expressed that “the CTE program has positively impacted thousands of students and families for over twenty-five years. We support the expansion of the CTE program to ensure that all youth in the motherlode region have ample opportunities to pursue a career in technical education and we hope that many more youth can continue to build the future of healthcare for many generations to come.”

Calaveras Unified Superintendent Mark Campbell shared that “the generous donation by the Mark Twain Medical Center will help us significantly in our efforts to expand the scope of the Calaveras High School Medical/Health Services program. The ultimate objective is to provide expanded access next year to 10th and 11th grade students. A longer-term plan is to provide access to middle school students, to engage in opportunities to prepare for careers in the health care field”