Beth Abraham has provided excellent health services to the community yet again, this time helping 10 individuals on the path to new careers as home health aides.
Ten individuals have completed a free three-week program offered for the first time by the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services’ Best Choice Home Health Care, and are now ready to begin their exciting careers as certified home-health care aides.
The graduates were honored in a Friday, August 22 ceremony at Best Choice Home Health Care, located at 665 Pelham Parkway North. Bishop Angel Rosario was the keynote speaker, and Assemblyman Michael Benjamin also sent congratulations.
The new Best Choice training program not only highlights Beth Abraham’s commitment to providing New York State Department of Health certified home care aides to their patients and the community-at-large, but also helps their home care agency retrain and attract top quality home aides.
“We can guarantee the quality of the training the aides receive, and simultaneously open a career path to many more aides,” said Cecily Baker, vice president of Best Choice Home Health Care. “By training these aides, we get a chance to know them and select the best for our own health care program.”
The graduates were beaming with pride at the ceremony, as Bishop Rosario, of the Church of God’s Children at 163 Dreiser Loop in Co-op City, spoke of the accomplishments of the students and the challenges they will face in their new role as home health care aides.
“The Beth Abraham Family of Health Services has a good name,” Rosario told the graduates. “You should try to enhance that name, because you are a representative of your home care agency and Beth Abraham.”
Class valedictorian Portia Rouse told the class that she had learned a lot about an illness afflicting a member of her own family while preparing to work as a home health care aide with those who have impairments, but who nevertheless want to remain in the community.
“During the training, I found out a lot about a family member who had a heart attack, and the different things that caused it,” Rouse explained. “I now not only want to be a home health aide, but want to go further in the field.”
Rouse, who was a youthful member of the graduating class, said that she hopes to one day become a licensed practical nurse.
The graduates all received a certificate, certifying that they are licensed home health care aides by New York State at the ceremony.
“Today, we come to the end of First Choice’s first training class for home health care aides,” said Belinda Pierre, assistant director of operations for Best Choice. “We look forward to hearing positive things from the patients, and from you – the graduates, in the future.”
For more information about Best Choice Home Health Care, please call the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services at (888) BETH-ABE, or e-mail info@bethabe.org.
