Gov. Janet Mills has issued an executive order that would allow Mainers in need of work to get free health care training to help in the COVID-19 response effort.
“Maine’s Community Colleges have always played a critical role in providing training and skills to strengthen our workforce,” Mills said in a news release. “With the State battling COVID-19, that work is more important than ever. This Executive Order provides our Community College System with the flexibility it needs to enhance their workforce development efforts and help fill vital jobs, such as those in the health care field, as quickly as possible.”
As of Thursday afternoon, Maine has seen 376 diagnosed cases of coronavirus infection and seven deaths from COVID-19.
The order allows for suspension of some requirements of the Maine Quality Centers (MQC) program, which is offered by the state’s community college system.
Suspending such restrictions as eligibility and employer matching funds on an as-needed basis means the MQC program can broaden to quickly provide free online medical training.
David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System, told Maine Public Radio the initiative can help people who have recently lost their jobs while also providing health care facilities with newly trained personnel.
“So that people have the beds they need when they need them,” Daigler said. “And that they have trained practitioners by their side when they need trained practitioners by their side. It just creates a straighter line for us to be able to get people into free training programs.”
The first of the training sessions, which would last from eight to 12 weeks, is tentatively set to start in the next few weeks.
Much of the training could take place online, Daigler said, including instruction for medical assistants, phlebotomists and technicians to help make supplies such as swabs and disinfectants.
The supplemental budget passed in March includes $2.5 million for the state’s Community College System.
