AUSTIN, Texas — Dr. Jereka Thomas-Hockaday of Central Texas appears in the new season of the popular Netflix show “Queer Eye.” The Fab Five celebrated Dr. Thomas-Hockaday for making an impact in her community amid the pandemic. She is the co-founder of Central Texas Allied Health Institute, a medical training school focused on recruiting students of color into the medical workforce.
“This is an effort by us to add folks of color into the medical profession so people who are needing service can be comfortable in a setting where they see people who look like them taking care of them,” said Dr. Thomas-Hockaday.
Central Texas Allied Health Institute first opened its doors last year in East Austin. The community clinic became a beacon in the area early on, addressing health care disparities in communities of color. The clinic employed staff, teachers and students to administer COVID-19 testing at the site. Dr. Thomas-Hockaday says she wanted to give them an opportunity to have a once in a lifetime chance to help people in the community while learning emergency skills.
Devon Parker is a student at the institute, training to be a pharmacy technician. During the interview, Parker worked with an instructor to prepare doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids. He’s nearing graduation and ready to become a health care professional as the need continues to rise across the country.
As the third year of the pandemic approaches, health care workers are one of the most in demand professions. A demand that’s led to labor shortages in hospitals and nursing homes as the omicron variant takes its toll on Texans.
Dr. Thomas-Hockaday says 200 students have graduated from Central Texas Allied Health Institute. Those students are migrating into the health care industry prepared to make a difference.