Ribbon Cutting for New Home of the Healthcare Advancement Resource Center
To celebrate the growth and accomplishments of the Healthcare Advancement Resource Center (HARC), there will be a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. at HARC’s new home, 315 Springfield Road. Following the ribbon-cutting, at 5 p.m. there will be a networking happy hour in Grewen Aud.
All members of the campus community are invited to attend both events, which are being co-hosted by the CenterState CEO Ambassadors and the HARC Advisory Council.
Launched in 2020 thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF), HARC helps healthcare workers who received their education and training in a foreign country to obtain credentials, certifications and additional training or education needed to work in the healthcare sector in the United States. Since its inception, HARC growth has remained consistent, enrolling and offering case management services to more than 175 participants from over 35 countries, with plans to enroll 50 more foreign-trained medical graduates interested in U.S. healthcare and to enhance its existing services. To date, HARC has received nearly $1.2 million in funding from the MCHF.
“We couldn’t have envisioned a more exciting way to celebrate our fourth anniversary than with the ongoing funding from the MCHF, new office space, three nurses passing NCLEX and five doctors accessing medical residency placement in 2023,” said HARC Director Rwanda Stella. “We will leverage our funding to accelerate programming to support internationally trained medical professionals, scale our team and expand our partnerships during 2024.”
HARC’s new location provides room for expansion and has office spaces for HARC director and Educational Case Managers Kathy Elbadawi and Kim Rodriguez. There is also a shared space on the first floor for two part-time instructors, Tim Gill and Donna Ziolla, and three Ignatian Volunteer staff, Geri Wagner, Don Wagner and Joan Arno. Additionally, the lower level has space for workshops and instructional classes for up to 15 participants, providing room for one-on-one and small group sessions.
It will also allow HARC to increase the services it provides, which include career coaching, resume and cover letter writing, personal statement review for academic and medical residency applications, mock interview workshops, online employment application assistance, English for healthcare professional classes and computer literacy classes. Rwanda said there are plans to invite guest speakers from the local healthcare community to engage with HARC members and connect them with employment opportunities.
Yamira Guzman, a medical doctor from Cuba, is one of five HARC members who matched in the March 2023 residency application process and has started the family medicine residency program at Mohawk Valley Hospital in Utica, N.Y. She recently shared the role that the HARC played in her recertification pathway. “The HARC not only provides English language services, resume creation and medical licensure application support, but they offer financial assistance when we need it most to pay for the many fees in the U.S. licensure process.”
Leon Ronoh, a HARC member and doctor from Kenya who has successfully passed all three USMLE exams and the OET (Occupational English Test), summed up his feelings about the HARC: “I appreciate the work of the HARC because I have found that attending events and meeting others in person is therapeutic; the shared stories provide community and connectedness when it is needed most.” Leon has recently accepted a medical science teaching fellowship at the American University of Antigua.
