The Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE) held a ribbon-cutting and open house in late December to celebrate the opening of its new Career Pathways Training Center medical building, a facility designed to support hands-on healthcare training for students and community members across Mendocino County.
The building will house MCOE’s Medical Assistant (MA) and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) adult education programs. It includes a theory classroom, two simulation labs with mock MA and CNA rooms, and a skills lab used for certification and clinical training.
Attendees included Mendocino County Supervisor John Haschak (District 3); Mendocino County Board of Education President Nancy Bennett; Ukiah High School Principal Dr. Analese Alvarez; former Medical Pathways Manager Tami Mee; staff from Ukiah Post Acute and Leslie Udarbe, Director of Mendocino College’s LVN program; and representatives from the offices of Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Chris Rogers.
Students and families from Ukiah High School’s CNA program also attended. This marks the first time the Certified Nursing Assistant course has been offered to local high school students. The course is part of Ukiah High School’s Patient Care Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway, which introduces students to healthcare careers through medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, patient care skills, safety practices, ethics, and professional standards. With access to MCOE’s new medical facility, students can train in clinical settings that closely reflect what they will encounter in healthcare workplaces.
“Today’s ribbon cutting represents what’s possible when education, healthcare, and community partners come together,” said Eric Crawford, MCOE Director of Career and College Programs. “This building brings those partnerships into one shared space and strengthens the pipeline between students, training programs, and the local healthcare system.”
The building also includes advanced patient simulation equipment, including ALEX Patient Communication Simulators. These interactive manikins are designed to respond to students in real time, support multiple languages, and allow students to view care scenarios from the patient’s perspective.
“This facility helps ensure that Mendocino County residents can access high-quality healthcare training close to home,” said Mendocino County Superintendent of Schools Nicole Glentzer. “It reflects the value we place on partnerships, practical learning, and preparing students for careers in our community.”
The Medical Building supports MCOE’s Medical Pathways programs for adult learners, which include Dental Assisting, Phlebotomy, Medical Assisting, and the new Certified Nursing Assistant training. The CNA program is offered at no cost through June 2026. The four-month program includes classroom instruction and clinical experience, with additional support available to help address transportation, food, and childcare needs. The next CNA cohort begins this spring.
In addition to career training programs, the facility will host additional certification courses, including CPR, with plans to offer Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). These offerings will eliminate the need for medical professionals in our community to travel to Santa Rosa to renew their credentials.
“Training in this new medical building gives our students the hands-on experience they need to step directly into healthcare jobs. Thanks to our network of clinical partnerships, most will graduate with employment opportunities already lined up,” said Jessica Aikman, Teacher, CTE Medical Pathways.
The project was supported by two grants awarded to MCOE over the past year, and numerous community partners. Clinical and medical partners supporting MCOE’s Medical Pathways programs include Adventist Health (Ukiah, Willits, and Fort Bragg), Mendocino Community Health Clinics, Long Valley Health Center, Anderson Valley Health Clinic, Parkview Podiatry, Redwood Family Dermatology, and Dr. Robert Rushton, MD. Dental partners include Ukiah Dental, Ukiah Periodontics, Riviera Dental Clinic, Clearlake Dental, Corbett Orthodontics, Go Sun Dental, Petaluma Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, Jodi Todd, RDHAP, Dr. Douglas Reams, DDS, Dr. Mark Ashiku, DDS, and Dr. Thomas Jutsy, DDS.
Funding from Empowered Aging helped launch the Certified Nursing Assistant program and equip instructional spaces, while support from the County Medical Services Program funded building renovations and expanded training opportunities in phlebotomy and dental assisting.
For more information, please visit: https://mcoe.us/medpath.