March 27, 2012 – The Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach celebrate the graduation of the 2nd cohort of participants in a workforce training program, funded by a $2.816 million federal grant the entities earned last October. Of the $2.816 million, $727,800 is to be directly paid to the hospital system for coordinating new hires and staff training, as well as $1,000 monthly stipends for full-time clinical lab scientist trainees. The other $1.444 million is funded directly to Long Beach City College and Los Angeles Harbor College for Memorial staff training and for half of the medical center’s existing training program. The program will provide workforce training for about 400 existing hospital employees and job training for another 363 future healthcare employees, mostly with the MemorialCare Health System. Pictured, back row, from left, are: 2nd cohort graduates Marvella Mercadel, Claudia Soto, Roxanna Boianos, Ninfa Sanchez, Eufemia Aguilar, Nicole DeSantos, Miriam Sandifer, April D’Aguilar, Mauricio Guitron, Salvador Ramirez, Sherwin Hayward, Ryan Cullens, Fernando Hernandez, Tinesha Carson, Anthony Guzman, Angelo Pena and Sonia Villarreal. Front row, from left, are: Larry Rice, boardmember for Pacific Gateway; 2nd cohort graduates Cordella Green, Joseph Stetch, Catalina Melton, Ronelle Edwards, Claudia Vasquez and Rossana Marchand; Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster; 2nd cohort graduates Diego Vargus-Dominquez, Sinoeuth Suon, Emily Bogarin, Victoria Pichardo, Sopha Lawson, Julie Kellum, Saran Torres and Sam Sea; and Diana Hendel, CEO of Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital of Long Beach. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Tiffany Rider)