FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Warm Springs, GA) - In an effort to provide hands-on vocational training experiences to students with disabilities enrolled at Roosevelt Warm Springs (RWS), the center has partnered with CVS Health to open a mock store on its Meriwether County campus. The store, which features a realistic layout and product inventory, will give trainees an opportunity to gain life and career skills as well as a pathway to possible future employment with CVS Health and other retailers.

“Students at Roosevelt Warm Springs already have opportunities to focus on multiple vocational tracks, including a customer service pathway leading to a certificate,” said Dr. Lee Brinkley Bryan, Director of Residential Services and Interim Vocational Services Director. “By adding a mock store to the training we have available, we are able to take our students’ educational experience to the next level. They will emerge with many transferrable skills, and those who are interested in pursuing a future with CVS Health will already have an added advantage: familiarity with its business processes and the skills necessary to succeed.”

The opening of the mock store at RWS is part of CVS Health’s collaboration with the National Consortium of State-Operated Comprehensive Rehabilitation Centers (NCSOCRC) to help more Americans with disabilities find meaningful employment. Other site locations include Arkansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.

"CVS Health is focused on breaking down the employment barriers that individuals with disabilities face," said David Casey, Vice President, Workforce Strategies and Chief Diversity Officer, CVS Health. "We are proud to be working with Roosevelt Warm Springs and NCSOCRC to help people with disabilities access the security and prosperity that stable jobs can provide."

Through the program, students will learn the skills needed for positions like Retail Store Associate. Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency’s (GVRA) Executive Director, Sean T. Casey, said the new training program opportunity will help RWS continue its solid employment trends.

“For the past two years, every Roosevelt Warm Springs class has had job placement rates between 50 and 60 percent at the time of graduation. Those are numbers many colleges or universities would covet,” said Casey. “We are thankful employers like CVS Health recognize our students’ potential and are thrilled that this company is helping us invest in our clients.”

Roosevelt Warm Springs and CVS Health will celebrate the opening of the mock store at 2pm on Friday, November 16th. Media are asked to meet at 1:45 pm in the E&T Building lobby (6135 Roosevelt Highway, Warm Springs, GA 31830).

Media Contact: [email protected] or (404) 922-1303