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Montrose Campus

Connect to Community: Allies in your health

GCC Allied Health Program – Coming Soon to Montrose!

Glendale Community College is developing a new Allied Health Program to train Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) Assistants with support from USC. Students will earn their AA degree from GCC and have an opportunity to complete their clinical fieldwork hours at a professional PT/OT clinic housed at the GCC Montrose Campus. The clinic will be operated by USC and open to the community. 

This innovative program will fill critical staffing shortages in the allied health sector, provide students with pathways to meaningful, high-demand careers, and offer valuable services to our Glendale, Montrose, and La Crescenta communities. 

Montrose Campus

The future GCC Allied Health Program will eventually be located at the GCC Montrose Campus in the former Citibank building at 2350 Honolulu Avenue. The facility will include classroom, lecture, and lab spaces, along with a fully functional PT/OT clinic. While the program and the new facility are being developed, the USC clinic will temporarily operate from the former PDC building at 2340 Honolulu Avenue. 

Phase 1: USC PT/OC Clinic Relocation to Montrose (Summer 2026)

USC physical and occupational therapy clinics (formerly part of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital) will relocate to the former PDC building at 2340 Honolulu Avenue. In exchange for clinic space in GCC’s Montrose facility, USC faculty will support GCC in developing the College’s PTA and OTA program, including creating curriculum, managing the accreditation processes, and recruiting faculty. 

Phase 2: Program Design and Development (2026-29)

GCC will develop curriculum and manage the accreditation process for the new Allied Health Pathways with support from USC. The College will also create architectural designs and participate in an environmental review for the Montrose Campus Allied Health Facility at 2350 Honolulu Avenue. GCC plans to conduct a “design-build process.” This will allow the community to provide feedback on the new building’s design.  

  • Program design, architectural planning, and DSA submission: 18-24 months

  • DSA review period: 10-14 months. 

GCC has made a dedicated effort to model the original architecture at our GCC Verdugo and Garfield campuses. We make that same commitment to maintain the historic charm of the Montrose Town Center as we construct the new GCC Allied Health Building. 

Phase 3: Building Construction (2029-2031)

The existing building at 2340 Honolulu Avenue will be rebuilt as the permanent home for GCC’s Allied Health Program, including a new USC PT/OT clinic. 

Frequently Asked Questions

GCC purchased the former Citibank building in 2018 with a plan to expand student offerings and create a deeper connection with the Montrose community. Over the years, the College has considered various proposals, including expanding general education classrooms or developing an additional theater performance space. In the end, the college determined that these proposals would be duplicative of Verdugo campus offerings and would generate potential traffic and parking issues. The direction shifted to more specialized programs that would fit the existing architectural footprint and attract a smaller enrollment so as not to significantly impact traffic and parking. 

Currently, there are no public OTA programs and limited PTA programs in Los Angeles County and these programs are in high demand. Additionally, Glendale, Montrose, and La Crescenta have aging communities, which increases the demand for PT and OT. GCC has an opportunity to provide students with pathways to meaningful, high-demand careers, fill critical staffing shortages in the allied health sector, and offer valuable services to our community. 

PT/OT programs require specialized space which will fit well in the footprint of the existing building. Additionally, the programs attract smaller student cohorts that will help manage traffic and parking. Because PT/OT programs require clinical hours for state licensing, GCC had an opportunity to explore an innovative opportunity with an outside provider to host clinical practice onsite. This would provide the added benefit of opening the PT/OT clinic to community members seeking care. We anticipate that this model will benefit our community by providing services better suited to a local setting than a hospital. Additionally, the GCC Allied Health Program will support local businesses as PT/OT clients will frequent the businesses along Honolulu. 

In recent years PDC classes have been offered primarily online or at the business site. With that, the PDC requires a much smaller physical footprint. GCC’s current Facilities Master Plan seeks to improve and expand student offerings in Montrose by relocating the PDC staff to an office at the Verdugo campus.   

The current bank building was constructed in 1956 and had its last major renovation in 1974. The bottom floor is a bank vault with concrete walls and a vault door that would require extensive work to be removed. The building is not ADA accessible and has staircase and room layouts that do not fit the needs of the academic program. GCC is under the division of state architect and would need to meet Field Act requirements to have instruction in the facility. The construction of a new facility is needed to effectively meet these requirements.  

GCC reached out to leaders from local hospitals to inquire about their interest in partnering to develop a community-focused PT/OT assistant program. USC supported GCC’s vision to bring PT/OT into a community setting and enhance clinical training. The partnership was mutually beneficial as it provided USC Verdugo Hills Hospital with an opportunity to transition its PT/OT services to a community-based clinic and expand emergency room services at the hospital. 

Long term, GCC will provide all educational and student services components of the program, and USC will operate the PT/OT clinic. Students will earn their associate degree from GCC and have an opportunity to complete their clinical fieldwork hours at the USC clinic. 

Short-term, USC will operate the PT/OC clinic from the former PDC building. In exchange for clinic space in GCC’s Montrose facility, USC faculty will support GCC in developing the College’s PTA and OTA program, including creating curriculum, managing the accreditation processes, and recruiting faculty. 

Not at this time. The PTA/OTA program will fit within the existing footprint of the bank building. After the program launches around 2031, GCC will thoughtfully consider options for the PDC building that will be mutually beneficial to the College and the Montrose community. The College does not own any additional properties in the area and is not considering any future purchases.