A group of community colleges in Central and Southwest Virginia are coming together to help address the critical need for skilled paramedics.
Central Virginia, New River and Virginia Western Community Colleges will signed a memorandum of understanding later today to launch the new Paramedic Partnership program.
“The program will enhance emergency medical services and support various healthcare settings, including hospitals, ambulance services, and fire departments,” according to a joint news release from the colleges.
The partnership will expand the long-standing program at Central Virginia to the other campuses, providing more access to a wider pool of potential students.
“There’s a lot of people having classes near them to where they’re actually able to do it with their workload and everything would be very beneficial, because I know some people have to drive an hour and a half just to get here every other day,” said Matt Walton, a current student in the program.
The areas are all part of GO Virginia Region 2, which stretches from Appomattox to Giles counties, including the cities of Roanoke and Lynchburg.
A 2023 report commissioned by the General Assembly found that increasing call volumes and lower numbers of volunteers were leading to “untenable situations in localities related to fire and EMS.”
“There’s always power in numbers, so the more we can can collaborate together and the more we can partner together, we’re going to build a better program,” said Janet Blankenship, Chief of the Bedford County Department of Fire & Rescue.
It also found that 18% of localities in the commonwealth did not meet EMS staffing standards.
NRCC officials said there’s already been interest in the program from stakeholders in the New River Valley.
“When you cannot get people in and out of hospitals safely, get them to there, get them transported out, you’ve got 30-something trucks sitting there waiting on EMTs, advanced EMTs and paramedics. That is a problem,” said Dr. Peter Anderson, vice president for instruction and student services at NRCC.
The associate’s degree program will begin at NRCC this fall, and at Virginia Western in 2026. Students there will be able to take part in a certificate beginning this fall.
