RUMFORD — The Region 9 Adult Education Program is sponsoring a new partnership with the Academy of Medical Professions to provide tuition-free, accelerated healthcare training cohort opportunities in the River Valley area this fall. The program is designed to open a fast lane into patient-facing healthcare careers for eligible area residents, according to Director David Murphy.

The announcement comes as the University of Maine at Augusta concludes its longtime presence in Rumford, ending more than four decades of in-person, on-the-ground access to UMA coursework in the western Maine mountains.

For area residents who have relied on a local, walk-in option for continuing education, these Academy of Medical Professions cohorts — held in person and online at the new Region 9 Adult Education satellite office at 82 Congress St. — will offer a homegrown alternative built specifically around the region’s healthcare workforce needs.

In addition to expanding adult literacy education and helping area residents to obtain their high school equivalency credential, another primary goal is to provide new and exciting workforce development opportunities for area residents, Murphy said.

“This partnership with AMP is an incredible opportunity for eligible adults in our area to receive advanced credentialing designed to help them advance in their career through a tuition-free experience provided by a highly regarded professional organization,” Murphy said. “This relationship provides our program with an outstanding launch to our new satellite office and marks the beginning of an effort to further educational experiences for adult learners in our community.”

Murphy said Rumford Hospital, part of the Central Maine Healthcare system, remains one of the River Valley’s largest employers and its primary source of emergency, surgical and long-term care. But like health systems across rural Maine, Central Maine Healthcare continues to face pressure to recruit and retain clinical support staff close to home.

As the paper and pulp industry that has long anchored Rumford’s economy continues to shift, local workforce data shows healthcare and social assistance has become one of the town’s top employment sectors, even as overall employment in the area has softened in recent years.

For Academy of Medical Professions President and CEO Amy Catlin, who grew up in the River Valley before building a career expanding access to healthcare education across Maine, bringing healthcare programs to Rumford is personal as much as it is strategic.

“When one door closes, we wanted to make sure another one opened — right here in the Mountain Valley area,” Catlin said. “This new partnership with the Region 9 Adult Education program means residents don’t have to leave the area to build a healthcare career; they can train close to home and go straight to jobs the region already needs to have filled all for free — and quickly by trained professionals from a program that has been training students in Maine for 30 years.”

Program Coordinator Kelly Rose added, “What excites me about this cohort opportunity is that these students won’t just be learning skills, they’ll be learning them alongside people they already know in a place they already call home. That matters. When you’re training for a career that’s about taking care of people, starting in your own community sets the tone for the kind of provider you become.”

New fast-track, in-person cohorts in Clinical Medical Assisting and Phlebotomy will launch this fall at the new Region 9 satellite office at 82 Congress St. in Rumford. A special zoom course in dental assisting will also be available.

All three courses will be available tuition free for current or recently separated healthcare workers and/or CNA certified individuals. Enrollment is open but will close as soon as slots are filled. Limit of one course per person.

• Clinical Medical Assistant: Nine-week “fast track” program — Aug. 4 to Oct. 1 (Tuesday and Thursday 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 82 Congress St., Rumford).

• Phlebotomy Technician: Five-week “fast track” program — Sept. 1 to Oct. 1 (Tuesday and Thursday 5:30-8:30 p.m. at 82 Congress St., Rumford).

• Dental Assisting – Five-week “fast-track” program — Sept. 9 to Oct. 14 (Tuesday and Thursday 5:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom).

To enroll call 207-721-0714 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot in one of these three fast track courses.

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