Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Memorial Hospital at Gulfport signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on February 10th at MGCCC’s Bryant Center, to create additional pathways to meet the need for trained healthcare professionals in the region.

“We are excited to partner with Memorial and provide incredible opportunities for our students who are interested in the health sciences field,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president.  “The apprenticeship offerings and our existing programs will allow Memorial Hospital to recruit new employees or provide training to existing employees who wish to advance their careers.”

Memorial Hospital at Gulfport was one of the first hospitals in Mississippi to receive approval from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for apprenticeship training. Partnering with MGCCC, Memorial will begin its first apprenticeship program later this year.  The MOU also provides for internships, externships, grants and scholarships for a variety of health care programs at MGCCC.

“We’ve had a long-standing relationship with MGCCC, working together to meet the healthcare needs of our community by preparing students to enter the workforce,” said Kent Nicaud, Memorial Hospital President/CEO. “We are committed to ensuring we support resources necessary for the apprenticeships, LPN and Registered Nurse (RN) career path programs, and RN extern programs. We are also offering student scholarships to ensure the students are set up for success.  This initiative embodies a natural progression of our partnership, with the mutual goal of improved patient outcomes through the development of talented individuals. During this time of critical shortage of healthcare industry professionals, we can continue to serve the evolving needs of our community with unique solutions.”

Additional training programs and opportunities for Gulf Coast citizens and MGCCC students may be on the horizon as the demands for health care workers grows.