San Diego Is Short 1,700 CNAs. We're Working on That.

Easter Sunday feels like the right day to write about caregiving.

Not the clinical version. The human one. The person who shows up at 6am and makes sure your grandmother is bathed with dignity, that her breakfast is warm, that someone speaks to her like she matters. In skilled nursing facilities across San Diego's South Bay, that person is a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Right now, there aren't enough of them.

San Diego County is facing a documented shortage of CNAs, and it will only deepen as our population ages. The communities hit hardest are the ones closest to us: National City, Chula Vista, Bonita, Spring Valley. These are neighborhoods full of people who already know how to care for others. They do it every day for their families, their neighbors, their church communities. What they often don't have is a clear, affordable path to turn that calling into a credential and a career.

That's the gap Sacred Promise Institute exists to close.

We're not enrolling students yet. California's regulatory process for new schools is thorough, and we're working through it the right way. The only way it should be. What I can tell you is that the team is committed and the community we're here to serve isn't going anywhere.

We're also close to hitting the funding milestone that moves us into our next phase, and when we do, we hit the ground running. No slow start. We've been preparing for this, and we're eager to serve.

If you know someone in South Bay who has ever thought about a healthcare career, share this with them. The door is going to open, and we want them ready when it does.

If you're a healthcare employer, a workforce agency, or a community organization, reach out. We're building this with the community, not just for it.

And if you want to help make this happen sooner, we'd love to hear from you.

Happy Easter, South Bay.

Dexter,

Founder & CEO, Sacred Promise Institute