The Geriatric Career Development (GCD) Program is dedicated to benefiting underserved youth. The GCD Program, housed within The New Jewish Home, focuses on developing quality healthcare workers to address the shortage of caregivers in the field of geriatrics. GCD's High School Program is a college preparation and workforce development program offering a variety of services including tutoring, ment
oring, SAT preparation, clinical training, college visits, and college and professional development workshops. For the High School Program, GCD requires a three-year commitment beginning in the sophomore year of high school and continuing until graduation. After completion of the junior year, each student will have the opportunity to take courses at CUNY Hostos to become a Certified Nursing Assistant or Medical Biller and Coder. In 2014 Jewish Home launched an expansion of the GCD Program, GCD for Older Youth, to address the needs of out-of-school/unemployed youth. This program engages and trains disconnected youth ages 18-24 to establish meaningful career paths in geriatric healthcare. Successful participants enter a workforce development trajectory to become Home Health Aides (HHAs). With partnership support from the Stanley Isaacs Center for case management and referral services, GCD's Older Youth program provides on-boarding services, pre-HHA training and paid internships, as well as HHA training and employment through Jewish Home. These programs both feed into GCD's Alumni Program, which offers support to GCD Alumni in meeting academic and career goals. Services include ongoing check-ins and tracking, connections to professional opportunities and outside resources, as well as onsite academic success and professional development events. Individual sessions are also provided to resolve personal issues, to establish and support educational goals, and to assist Alumni in finding and obtaining employment.
