Hundreds of people looking for work in counties south of Nashville will soon have another option. That’s after an organization that treats mental health and addiction received a $5 million stimulus grant to help funnel people who are out of a job into healthcare training.
The effort by the non-profit Centerstone spans five counties, some of which face unemployment in the upper teens. It will help fund training for careers from counseling radiology. CEO Bob Vero says the effort is a natural extension of Centerstone’s work in mental health and addiction treatment.
“Successful employment is critical to the lives of people who are going through a mental illness or addiction disorder, where the regularity of work and the security that comes with full-time employment, and the benefits associated with full-time employment can really make a difference in someone’s life-long recovery.”
Vero notes the grant isn’t limited to people being treated for addiction or mental health issues.
Centerstone will start interviews with interested job-seekers in about two weeks, and open offices in Columbia and Tullahoma next month.
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“Nursing, phlebotomy, counseling, hospice and assisted living care, hospital aid, radiology, surgery technicians and emergency medical service training, these are all only some of the potential health and allied health careers that will be made possible through this grant,” Vero says.
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