BCC, MCLA Align Community Health Programs

IBerkshires.com reports that as the population ages, there is a burgeoning need for community health educators.

Berkshire Community College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts have recognized that need and on Tuesday signed an articulation agreement to start training those professionals.

Both schools recently developed programs for community health. BCC started a certificate program and MCLA created a health sciences and a community health education program.

A new agreement between the two schools aligns the two schools' programming to create a seamless transition from an associate's degree to a bachelor's degree.

The programming stems from a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report predicting growth in the progression to increase 16 percent in the next decade.

The job is a middle-ground between medical and social work, helping people understand what is happening medically and connecting them with the information and resources they need.

The articulation agreement is one of a number the county's two public colleges have signed in recent years.

BCC's Vice President of Academic Affairs Jennifer Berne says it is one of many more.