UKIAH, CA., 2/12/26 — Mendocino County again can claim a certified nursing assistant (CNA) training program.
In December 2025, the Mendocino County Office of Education officially opened its new Career Pathways Training Center medical training building that will house several courses and programs, including the CNA program.
That program, the first in the county in 10 years, also includes a first-ever CNA program for high schoolers. The new medical building, adjacent to the office of education’s main Old River Road campus, will also host new certification courses that previously required traveling to Santa Rosa to complete.
The new training center also will offer access to the county’s other Medical Pathways programs for adult learners. These include dental assisting, phlebotomy, medical assisting, as well as the new CNA training. The CNA program is free until June 2026. The four-month-long program includes classroom instruction and clinical experience. There is also support for transportation, food and childcare needs.
Before the county office of education’s CNA program, there have been a few CNA training programs in Mendocino County throughout the past decade, including Brenda Gallegos’ Leading with Love Healthcare Education Center in Ukiah. Gallegos has graduated about 125 students in her program.
The county’s CNA program for high schoolers is part of Ukiah High’s patient care career technical education pathway, and allows Ukiah High students to earn a CNA certificate. Ukiah Unified School District Communications Officer Dan Dougherty said this is the first school year for the high school CNA program, which is full at its 15-student capacity. Dougherty said the students do their classroom time at the high school and lab and practical hours at the training center.
Certification courses for CPR, basic life support, advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support will all be taught at the new building. This means medical professionals will no longer have to travel out of county to renew their credentials.
The CNA program received funding from Empowered Aging, an independent nonprofit based in Pleasant Hill. Expanded training opportunities in phlebotomy and dental assisting were aided by the county medical services program.
The training center has a theory classroom, a skills lab for certification and clinical training, and two simulation labs with mock MA and CNA rooms. These sites are stocked with the materials and equipment students will encounter in a clinical environment.
The new building also comes with advanced patient simulation equipment. This includes interactive medical manikins designed to respond to students in real time, work with multiple languages and let students view care scenarios from the patient’s perspective.To learn more about the county office of education’s medical pathways programs, visit mcoe.us/medpath.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect other CNA training programs in Mendocino County.
