ATLANTA — An Atlanta nurse is crediting the 39th President of the United States for her career.
This comes as tributes continue to pour in for former President Jimmy Carter following his decision to seek hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia.
Jacqueline Sims, a licensed practical nurse in Atlanta, is one of the people chiming in to discuss Carter's legacy. She said the Georgia politician inspired her to enter the healthcare field.
It all started when she came across a nursing program advertised in her hometown newspaper in Augusta. The opportunity promoted was offered through a federal law known as the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA). This program offered job opportunities to people of low-income households and long-term unemployment. The purpose was to train workers and provide them with jobs in public service.
CETA was first enacted by congress and signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1973. However, it was extended by Carter during his presidency.
"When Jimmy Carter had this offer to go to nursing school, he was president at the time, and it was his last year. And he made this offer. And I trusted him. We love him," Sims said.
It was that advertisement that pushed Sims to pursue the industry. She has been a nurse for 39 years with the majority of them as a hospice nurse.
Sims even had the opportunity to tell the president about the influence he had on her life when she met him during a visit at the former Fulton County Treatment Center.
"I told him that I'm a nurse because of him and his CETA program, and you know, he just blessed me," Sims recounted.
Sims is currently a school nurse for Atlanta Public Schools. And as the years continue to tick by, she will always have the fond memories of Jimmy's Carter legacy and influence on her life and career.
"We were proud to have him," Sims said. "First of all, he's a man from Georgia but, you know, I don't know if I will ever have anyone as good as that again."