BALTIMORE — Dwyer Workforce Development gives people a chance for a high paying career when they could be at their lowest.
Like Aida Bland who had been laid off from her position with the Baltimore Health Department.
"It didn't feel so great but I started really reassessing my life and what I wanted, and how I wanted to continue impacting the community in a positive way," said Bland.
Bland turned to the Dwyer Scholars Program which helps people pursuing healthcare careers financially.
Anything from paying for all their tuition to a metro card to get back and forth to class or work.
"Whatever barrier that you could come across, they would find a way to support you to make sure that you reach your goal, to become a CNA. As a mom of two girls, I was very pleased to hear that," said Bland.
More than 100 of the Dwyer Scholars live in East Baltimore and work for healthcare facilities in the city.
It's helping cut down on the staffing crisis that healthcare facilities across the country are facing.
"There's a couple skilled nursing facilities who we work with where we place our Dwyer Scholars that say they're no longer using nurse agency or spending additional money on temps that they're fully staffed," said Dwyer CEO Barb Clapp.
Today, the resource program entered into an agreement for a new location for their resource center in the Southern Streams Health and Wellness Center which is in the development phase.
The Dwyer Scholars Center will be an anchor for the new wellness center.
"We'll have the opportunity to actually serve those Dwyer Scholars more extensively than we do, recruit additional Dwyer Scholars and serve the neighborhood," said Clapp.
For now, the center will go into the Harvin Transformation Center.
