By Brandi Miller / For the FCT

Being college and career ready is the goal for all students in Franklin County. Thanks to a grant awarded to the Red Bay High School health science department, students will be one step closer to achieving that goal.

Red Bay High School health science department was awarded a grant for the Patient Care Technician Program from the Appalachian Regional Commission. The grant amount was for $43,400, with a matching amount of $18,600. This grant will help many students prepare for careers after high school.

“I am very thankful for the patient care tech program,” said Franklin County Superintendent Greg Hamilton. “The work of Kay Hargett and Susan Hargett and this fine group of students will provide experience and outstanding opportunities for everyone.”

This grant helps with funding programs to assist in preparing students for the workforce, in the healthcare industry within hospitals and physicians’ offices.

“This grant funding brings a much-needed program to our county to impact students’ futures by giving them a marketable job skill right out of high school or vital competencies to continue their education,” said Dr. Susan Hargett, Franklin County Schools’ grant writer and an instrumental person in obtaining the grant for Franklin County.

Once students complete the Patient Care Technician Program, they will take a certification exam and then become certified patient care technicians.

“This program not only helps to prepare students for the workforce but also assists students to acquire skills that will be advantageous to them as they pursue professional careers in the postsecondary educational environment,” said Dr. Kay Hargett, health science teacher at Red Bay High School.

Through career and technical programs such as the health science program, students learn how to perform EGGs, perform venous sticks to draw blood, monitor vital signs and perform basic patient care.

Kay Hargett and Susan Hargett thanked the Franklin County Board of Education and Hamilton for their support of educational endeavors that help prepare students for the workforce once they graduate from high school.