REBUILD ILLINOIS WILL HELP FUND NEW SOUTH SUBURBAN HEALTH CAREER TRAINING FACILITY

Illinois State Senator, Napoleon Harris (pictured), recently announced that South Suburban College will receive $35.8 million from the state to fund the construction of a new facility for its Allied Health and Careers program. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of Senator Napoleon Harris
Illinois State Senator, Napoleon Harris (pictured), recently announced that South Suburban College will receive $35.8 million from the state to fund the construction of a new facility for its Allied Health and Careers program. Photo Credit: Provided by the Office of Senator Napoleon Harris

Rebuild Illinois Will Help Fund New South Suburban Health Career Training Facility

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Illinois State Senator Napoleon Harris recently announced that South Suburban College, in South Holland, will receive $35.8 million from the Rebuild Illinois fund to build a new training facility for the school’s Allied Health and Careers programs.

Rebuild Illinois is a capital improvement plan created by Governor J.B. Pritzker and the members of the Illinois House and Senate to provide funding for critical construction projects across the state. Most notably, Rebuild Illinois is providing over $33 billion specifically for transportation projects and improvements over the next six years.

The estimated cost for the new allied health training facility at South Suburban College is expected to cost about $70 million. The complex would include four stories and approximately 130,000 square feet of space.

Inside the facility, there will be state-of-the-art teaching and learning tools to allow students to train for cutting-edge health career opportunities.

“I’m thrilled to see Illinois investing into a state-of-the-art teaching facility in the south suburbs,” said State Senator Napoleon Harris. “This new facility will provide better job opportunities and bring more resources to students who want a career in the medical industry.”

The new facility will modernize the current training programs for registered nurses and nursing assistants, community health workers, emergency medical technicians, radiologists, echocardiography technicians, occupational therapy assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacy technicians, medical assistants, and medical records and coding specialists.

Aside from the existing programs, the new facility will provide space for new career programs that provide the training students need to become dental hygienists, respiratory technicians, physical therapy assistants, and patient care technicians.

Throughout the United States, employment opportunities in healthcare were projected to grow 14 percent between 2018 to 2028 which is faster than the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additionally, 24 percent of South Suburban College students, on average, chose to pursue careers in nursing and other allied health careers, according to information from South Suburban College.

The new facility will allow South Suburban College to expand its resources for students and provide access to education and training in health care fields for south suburban residents so they can compete for jobs in the growing field.

While providing education and training opportunities for health care careers, the new Allied Health and Careers facility at South Suburban College will also serve as a community health center and childcare center, according to information provided by the Office of Senator Napoleon Harris.

To learn more about the Allied Health and Careers program and South Suburban College, visit www.ssc.edu.

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