Sadler Health Center Becomes a Skilled Training and Development Site for Healthcare Professionals

Sadler Health Center Becomes a Skilled Training and Development Site for

Healthcare Professionals

 Posted on November 9, 2020

CARLISLE, PA – Sadler Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing community-based comprehensive primary care, dental care, behavioral health and support services at its centers in downtown Carlisle and Loysville, announced today its partnership with the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA).  Sadler will provide hands-on, in-clinic experience to the NIMAA students enrolled in its Medical Assistant Training Program.

NIMAA (www.nimaa.org), a nonprofit education institute, trains Medical Assistants to work effectively in today’s high-performing primary care settings. NIMAA was created by community health centers to provide access to education and employment opportunities in the communities they serve, while addressing a critical workforce shortage.

NIMAA’s online program requires students to gain 240 hours of clinical experience at partnering externship organizations like Sadler.  The first group of three qualified candidates will begin the externship at Sadler in March 2021.  Sadler is the only site in Cumberland County and one of three in the state to accept NIMAA students.  Applications are available at www.nimaa.org and require a $25 non-refundable fee.  The deadline for applications is January 31, 2021. 

“As a community health center dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate and patient-centered care, we are offering new healthcare professionals a unique experience that combines skilled, hand-on training with oversight and support from experienced medical providers,” Manal El Harrak, Chief Executive Officer of Sadler Health Center, said.  “It’s not only important for us to care for our patients and enhance the health and well-being of our community, but to do so while cultivating the expertise and knowledge of those in our medical industry,” she added. 

In addition to the partnership with NIMAA, Sadler hosts medical students from the Penn State College of Medicine conducting their Health Equity Clerkship.  Also, Sadler has relationships with more than 15 different schools to support training for students doing pediatric rotations and fellowships in addiction medicine.  The dental providers at Sadler support Dental Assisting internships from local community colleges and Vo-Tech high schools. 

In support of Sadler’s philosophy to provide training and development opportunities for healthcare professionals, the community health center recently appointed Earth-Shameenah Barber, FNP-C, to its team of Family Nurse Practitioners.  Barber earned her Family Nurse Practitioner license in March 2020 from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board.

“I am honored to begin my career as a Family Nurse Practitioner at Sadler Health Center where I will be working alongside an exceptional team of medical providers who are committed to mentoring and supporting me as I work towards achieving my career goals,”  Barber explained.  “I look forward to utilizing my skills and talents to serve the community while gaining experience in a top-notch, primary care setting.”     

Sadler Health Center

Serving nearly 10,000 patients per year, Sadler Health Center provides comprehensive primary care, dental care and behavior health services at its facility in downtown Carlisle and dental care at its Perry County location.  With a history dating back nearly 100 years to 1921, Sadler Health Center has evolved over the decades and in 2015 was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center whose mission is to advance the health of our community by providing inclusive, high-quality, and compassionate care.

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