22 May Journey Allied Health Trains The Next Generation

Journey Allied Health Trains The Next Generation:
Deborah Blades-Clarke Builds Peekskill’s Healthcare Pipeline

By Joshua Anderson for the Peekskill Business Improvement District

Hidden on the second floor of the building at 1200 Brown Street in downtown Peekskill, Journey Allied Health has been quietly preparing its students for careers in one of the region’s most essential and growing industries. 

At the center of that training is Deborah Blades-Clarke, a nurse practitioner with more than three decades in healthcare and a Doctorate degree from Chamberlain University. She founded Journey Allied Health and has been running it basically by herself. 

“I am everything, so I am the owner, the housekeeper, the laundry person, the social media person, the emailer, the receptionist, I am the teacher,” Blades-Clarke said. 

Aside from running the school she founded 4 years ago, she is also a nurse practitioner herself. Journey Allied Health is focused on accelerated certification programs such as nurse aide, phlebotomy, personal care aide, and home health aide training. 

Blades-Clarke’s goal is to improve care “one student at a time.” Students can complete some programs in as little as three to eight weeks, depending on the certification and schedule they choose. 

Evening programs typically run September through May/June; they pause during summer months. There are summer programs offered, focused on the accelerated 4-week Nurse Aide course, primarily serving pre-healthcare college students on summer break. 

The tuition for nurse’s aides is $2,000 and $1,400 for phlebotomy. Journey Allied Health is a very personal and professional atmosphere that allows students to get the proper attention they need. 

What sets it apart from larger institutions? 

“I think compassion. We’re down to earth, and students feel comfortable asking any question. All teachers are doctorate prepared and have taught in colleges,” Blades-Clarke said. 

Being that Journey Allied Health is the only healthcare trade school in Northern Westchester, it serves a diverse student population, including college students, immigrants, and those thinking of career changes. 

Blades-Clarke stated that there is a high job placement rate, with almost all of her students finding work in their chosen fields. 

“Another portion of them go on to college or to a health care school, like an LPN school,” Blades-Clarke said. She cares about her students and she cares about the work she does: “Getting old is a privilege, not everybody gets there. So working in the nursing homes, I wanted to make a difference,” Blades-Clarke said. 

She stressed that this is a job that won’t go away. AI cannot replace healthcare and “for a nurse aide, the world is their oyster because there’s such a demand.” Licensed by NY State Department of Education, Women Minority Business Entrepreneur certified, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Journey Allied Health represents a grassroots approach to addressing the healthcare workforce shortage in Northern Westchester County.

Operating as a one-woman enterprise with contract instructors, Blades-Clarke has created an educational institution that prioritizes quality over quantity, compassion over profit, and community impact over expansion. 

 “Journey’s empowering the Peekskill community by providing fast-track, high-quality healthcare education that puts local residents into essential jobs,” Blades-Clarke said. 

To support that mission, the school offers flexible scheduling depending on the program. Most evening classes run Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Some programs, like phlebotomy, are also offered on weekends to accommodate students who are working or in school.

For more information on class schedules, enrollment, and upcoming sessions, visit Journey Allied Health at Journey Allied Health Training Center – Licensed and supervised by the NYS Department of Education or follow them on Instagram @journeyalliedhealth and Facebook at Journey Allied Health for updates and announcements.

(C) 2026 Peekskill Business Improvement District. Photos by Joshua Anderson and Journey Allied Health. Edited by Bill Powers.  If you are a downtown destination business and would like to be considered for an upcoming profile article, please email us at peekskillbid1@gmail.com.