Officials at a LaGuardia Community College program celebrated what could be the last graduating class of a successful training program that has run for several years.
Dozens of graduates were cheered after they completed The Save-EMT program at LaGuardia Community College Thursday afternoon. The four-month program trains students to be emergency medical technicians and paramedics.
But after three years of classes made possible with federal funding, the well has dried up. LaGuardia isn't able to offer the free program any more, and officials say it’s a loss for students interested in working in medical care or emergency response but not considered traditional students of those fields.
"If we couldn't do this program, that there would be many people who really wouldn't have entry into the health field. And this program gives them that entry, not just into EMT but into a career ladder," says Jane Schulman, vice-president of Adult and Continuing Education at LaGuardia.
"It's sad because it's giving more opportunities to anyone out there who may be having financial hardship,” says Irene Sun, a graduate of the Save-EMT program.
School officials say they are now looking for another source of funding.