MEMPHIS—In the Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s program for self-development as outlined in His book “Message to the Blackman,” He exhorted us to “pool our resources, education and qualifications for independence.”
Friends, family and supporters recently gathered at the Hickory Ridge Towne Center in East Memphis to celebrate and witness the fruition of the goals, dreams and hard work of Black women to do just that—pool their resources, education and qualifications.
CEO and director Tuwanna McDaniel, BSN, RN, CEO; CEO and director of operations Pamela Prude Muhammad, BSN, RN; and program director and instructor Coretta Muhammad, RN, held their official ribbon cutting ceremony for Professional Allied Health, LLC, which provides healthcare education and lab services.
According to co-founders Ms. Prude-Muhammad and Ms. McDaniel, their first program, a Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program—for which they are state-approved—is designed to produce top-notch allied health professionals that not only improve their patient’s lives, but their communities as well.
The opening of the school comes at a time when less than 10 percent of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) are Black and slightly less than 12 percent are Latino or Hispanic, representing a large lack of diversity in the field.
The mission statement of Professional Allied Health, LLC, shows a desire to speak to this dearth of representation. “Our mission is to create a socially responsible change agent in our students as they prepare to provide culturally responsive care in the diverse communities in which they serve,” the statement reads.
The statement continues by stating their desire is “to be the best-in-class post-secondary education institution that expands professional healthcare education throughout the Tri-State area (Tenn., Miss., Ark.)” and “to produce graduates who have a desire to improve their social determinants of health and help make their communities thrive.”
Located in the Hickory Hill Community of East Memphis, an area with a population of over 45,000 of which over 90 percent are Black and Latino, the school will specialize in small classroom settings to give personal attention to future health care providers.
“Our goal is really to be connected to the community, not just East Memphis, we’re talking about Memphis, Shelby County, the whole Delta—we want Mississippi, we want Arkansas, we need healthcare workers; we need people on the ground taking care of our families, friends, our neighbors,” explained Ms. Prude Muhammad.
“If you know of anybody that’s going into healthcare—whether they are trying to be a nurse, an x-ray technician, anything in healthcare or just someone sitting at home that could be your family members; we are here to give them the best guidance, the education to help them with the care that they need for the people in our community and in our hospitals; our nursing homes, our home health people— send them to us. We’re going to take great care of them,” she added.
The school features a fully equipped classroom, including a hospital bed, medical equipment and more.
For more information, visit www.proalliedhealth.com or visit Professional Allied Health on Facebook.
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Supporters at Professional Allied Health ribbon cutting ceremony. The center, which is helmed by three Black women, will offer and provide healthcare education and lab services. Photos: Donna Muhammad 
Professional Allied Health is located in the Hickory Ridge Towne Center in East Memphis. Photos: Donna Muhammad 
Friends and family attend Professional Allied Health ribbon cutting ceremony.
