PCC Center for Training and Development Adds Behavioral Health Specialist Training
October 4, 2012
Students may qualify for federal Health Profession Opportunity Grant assistance
Tucson, AZ – Pima Community College’s Center for Training and Development is adding a new program in Behavioral Health Specialist Training that will prepare graduates to enter the workforce in six to nine months.
The first classes in the 18-credit program begin in January at PCC’s Desert Vista Campus.
Behavioral Health Specialists work as behavioral health workers, case managers, patient aides, family advocates, respite care workers or paraprofessional counselors. They provide care and support critical to the mental and emotional well-being of clients and patients.
By completing the Behavioral Health Specialist certificate training program at PCC, a graduate will be prepared to become a behavioral health technician as recognized by the state of Arizona.
The U.S. Department of Labor expects employment of social and human service assistants, which includes behavioral health specialists, to grow by 28 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. It also projects the number of psychiatric technicians in Arizona to grow by 12 percent.
In Pima County, an 18 percent growth rate is predicted for both behavioral health specialists and psychiatric technicians over the same period, according to the firm Economic Modeling Specialists.
Recent expansions of behavioral health services in the county include the University of Arizona Medical Center Behavioral Health Pavilion, which opened in August 2011 and provides inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency medical and behavioral health services.
PCC’s Behavioral Health Specialist Training program is part of the College’s Pathways to Healthcare Program, which offers financial assistance for low-income people to train in in-demand health professions.
The Pathways to Healthcare Program started in 2010 providing degrees or certificates in 15 specialized medical fields. It is a partnership between the College and Pima County OneStop. Pathways to Healthcare is funded by a five-year, $18.5 million Health Profession Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The training targets recipients of federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and other low-income individuals.
“Our Behavioral Health Specialist Training program is an example of the cooperation Pima Community College and the local community enjoy,” says Brian Stewart, director of PCC’s Center for Training and Development and Pathways to Healthcare. “The Tucson Indian Center, The University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus, Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, Pima County OneStop and many other community and business partners saw changes in the career opportunities for behavioral health and asked us to provide the training.”
The University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus and Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, the umbrella organization for many behavioral health operations in Pima County, were the primary partners in developing the program.
PCC’s Center for Training and Development provides high-quality training leading to immediate jobs or to job advancement in many in-demand fields in southern Arizona. CTD offers primarily clock-hour training in health, culinary and food service, and business professions. PCC boasts a 90 percent completion rate and an 85 percent job placement rate in CTD programs.
For more information, contact the PCC Center for Training and Development at 206-5100. Anyone interested in enrolling in a Pathways program should call (520) 206-5250 for times and locations of upcoming information sessions.
CONTACT:
C.J. Karamargin
Vice Chancellor for Public Information and Government Relations
(520) 206-4850
ckaramargin@pima.edu