PCC lands key training role in $1 million Oregon Health Authority EMS grant
Photos and story by James Hill
Oregon’s health care system is facing persistent workforce shortages and growing pressure to deliver timely care across both urban and rural communities. In its 2025 statewide needs assessment, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) highlights ongoing challenges, including burnout, uneven access in rural areas, and barriers like transportation and childcare that can keep qualified workers from entering or staying in health care roles.
To strengthen emergency response capacity statewide, Portland Community College has been awarded nearly $1 million through the Healthy Oregon Workforce Training Opportunity (HOWTO) Grant Program, supporting scholarships that will run through next fall.
“This investment tackles one of Oregon’s most urgent health workforce needs: ensuring communities can count on trained emergency responders when seconds matter,” said PCC’s Dean for the Healthcare and Emergency Professions Pathway Janeen Hull. “By reducing financial barriers and providing wraparound support, we’re helping more Oregonians complete training and move into family-wage jobs that strengthen community health.”
EMS Training
PCC’s Emergency Medical Services Program prepares EMTs and paramedics to deliver urgent care and transport patients safely. As Oregon’s largest EMS program, it offers strong career potential, interdisciplinary training alongside Fire Protection Technology, and promising regional job growth with competitive wages.
Of the total funding, approximately $420,000 is dedicated to tuition and educational support in the form of scholarships paid directly to students, which will help 100 Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) statewide continue training and earn certification. PCC’s EMS Program will train the majority of its assigned seats, roughly 18 to 30 new EMTs over the coming year, with cohorts currently enrolled for spring–summer (10 two-term students), and this fall (10 accelerated students). PCC had 10 second-term students enrolled during winter term.
The grant launches an EMS training pathway designed to advance health equity through recruitment and comprehensive student support. In addition to free tuition and fees, the pathway offers career coaching, outreach services, language assistance, transportation and childcare support, which is an approach aligned with OHA’s emphasis on addressing practical barriers that limit workforce participation.
Key employer partners like Metro West Ambulance have committed to providing hands-on training and hiring opportunities for scholarship recipients, with eligible candidates potentially hired while still enrolled. Participating ambulance employers include Metro West Ambulance, Bay Cities Ambulance, Medix Ambulance Service, Woodburn Ambulance, Umpqua Valley Ambulance, Pacific West Ambulance, and Pioneer Ambulance. The program provides opportunities through June 30, 2027.
PCC offers a 12-credit EMT certificate, completed either as two consecutive six-credit courses or through an accelerated fall option that delivers all 12 credits in one term. After completion, students are eligible to take the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam and submit their credential for Oregon licensure. In 2024, 87% of PCC EMT students passed the NREMT exam and achieved state licensure, representing 253 newly credentialed EMTs from PCC that year.
PCC will provide OHA with program data including enrollment, retention, completion, exam readiness, NREMT pass rates, and Oregon licensure outcomes.
For more details on the college’s Emergency Medical Services Program, visit https://www.pcc.edu/programs/emergency-medical/
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »