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George West High School is expanding its healthcare education offerings thanks to a nearly $300,000 grant from the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant.
The funding will allow the rural school district to create multiple new medical courses, giving students hands-on experience with professional-grade equipment including hospital beds, medical simulation tools, and an anatomage table.
For junior Blaine Ainsworth, the new program comes at the perfect time. The 16-year-old developed an interest in medicine after being diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare blood disorder, in eighth grade.
"Because I have too much blood, I get blood clots," Ainsworth explained.
The condition sparked her curiosity about medical procedures.
"I'd always ask them about all the medical stuff, like what they were doing because I wanted to know what they were doing to me."
"Before that our school only offered anatomy class and bio-tech. And that was all the medical stuff you could do. Now, there's going to be like five medical classes you can take," Ainsworth said.
Veteran teacher Glenda Locke, who has taught at George West for over 40 years, said her students have been asking for more healthcare education options.
"This is going to give them the pathway to a career somewhere in the health field," Locke said. "I just think that's great that we're going to start preparing our kids for that while they're still in high school."
The grant will fund equipment including hospital beds, medical simulation devices, and specialized teaching tools to give students real-world experience.
Principal Sean Cunningham said the program addresses a critical need in the community.
"It's giving them hands-on training right now with real equipment and tools," Cunningham said.
School officials say supporting students in the growing healthcare field benefits not only the youth but the entire community that relies on medical services.
