Red Cross Training Moves to Braintree

Area residents taking First Aid, CPR, nursing assistant and even babysitting classes now have a much better view when they sit down at their desks or lean over a fellow student roleplaying on a bed in the new Red Cross training facility on Grossman Drive in Braintree.

American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts decided to move its office from Quincy to the site when its lease came up. "As we were searching for a new location in the South Shore, one of our goals was to remain convenient for our students from a parking and public transportation perspective," CFO Michael McCaffrey said in a statement.

Emergency response services will be unaffected by the move, McCaffrey added. "When the Red Cross is called to respond, no matter what our address, we will be there."

The site, in a building along with graphics, insurance and other companies at 100 Grossman Dr., is just feet from the Red Line and Route 3. "It's really wonderful," training director Marianne Mastrangelo said on Wednesday of the facility's wide windows and the space for both classroom teaching and hands-on learning. "We're really happy to be here."

One room contains rows of desks where more than 200 students each year will receive health care job training and lessons on safety preparedness. They will also use the beds lined against the wall to practice techniques. "Whatever they learn here in the classroom they take to the field," Mastrangelo said.

After nurse assistants complete their education they take another exam and are certified by the state. Before entering the Red Cross course, each person much pass an assessment to make sure they have the appropriate basic knowledge and language skills, Mastrangelo said.

Red Cross has been training in the area since 1990 and holds both day and evening classes. Depending on the number of students, two to three nurses are on hand to teach, Mastrangelo said.

She spoke and arranged equipment as the Braintree location's first student sat down for a test in a second room, surrounded by the evidence of an ongoing unpacking job that began last week.

"We haven't even put away the linens yet," Mastrangelo said.