Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The medical assistant program at Warsaw's Ivy Tech Community College got a funding boost from the Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation this week.
In prior years, local students took general education classes here and had to go to Fort Wayne or South Bend to complete the course work's clinical requirements.
The foundation's mission is to maintain an endowment to ensure health care facilities remain in Kosciusko County and is committed to improving community health and wellness through investments and grants.
Willis Alt, executive director of the K21 Foundation, and Randy Maxson, interim executive dean of the Warsaw campus, made the announcement Wednesday to community members, students, faculty and staff at the Warsaw campus.
Two years ago the K21 Foundation gave the school $173,000 toward a certified nurse assistance program.
Region 2 program director Marti Garrels said the National Association of Medical Assistance have accredited Ivy Tech's medical assistant course from a seven year certification to a 10 year certification. The Elkhart and Warsaw campuses will be a part of that accreditation.
According to Debbie Paul, coordinator of the Warsaw campus program, there are 30 students in the medical assistant program now. She has already received calls from past students interested in completing the course locally, beginning in the fall of 2006.
"I expect the number of students to double this fall," Paul said.
Paul also said the campus may offer free physical workups to the public in the near future.
The K21 Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds of the sale of Kosciusko Community Hospital to Quorum Health Group Inc.
Ivy Tech Community College, the state's second largest public post-secondary institution, has 23 campuses throughout Indiana. Ivy Tech offers two-year degrees and technical certificates, as well as customized education for Indiana businesses and industries. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Established in 1978, Ivy Tech-Warsaw serves more than 600 full- and part-time students.
