Lack of students results in temporary closure of new health college in Salida

The doors are locked at a Salida vocational college that opened four months ago to educate students for jobs in the health care industry.

A representative for American Specialty College said the school is closed temporarily while courses are revamped and more students are recruited. Classes are expected to resume in April, said Gia Smith, chief executive officer of the local parent company, American Specialty Healthcare.

The for-profit college in a three-story building on Pirrone Court held a grand opening in October. The state Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education approved a license for the college in August.

Smith said six to eight students took a core curriculum class on basic math and health terminology. Those students can continue with coursework in the spring. In the meantime, the college is ramping up to recruit more students, Smith said.

“The college needs to have a certain amount of enrollment,” she said. Despite the temporary closure, she said, the plan for the college is viable because of a need for health professionals in the Modesto area.

In October, American Specialty said it planned to provide certificate and degree programs for medical assistants, nursing assistants, vocational nurses, registered nurses, accountants and lab technicians.

The company, which owns Central Valley Specialty Hospital at 17th and H streets in Modesto, is trying to launch the proprietary school at the former Heald College site in Salida.

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Lack of students results in temporary closure of new health college in Salida."