Introduction and Overview

Introducing: The Mason Center for Healthcare Education

The Mason Center for Healthcare Education helps students access classes that can start or expand their career and is specifically focused in areas that will increase the workforce in the senior care industry.

The center is launching in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a dedication to welcome people of all ages and backgrounds – no healthcare experience necessary – to obtain education and training in relevant fields while minimizing the burden of student debt in order to provide career opportunities for students and qualified employees for senior care and other healthcare providers.

Sparked by the great need for certified senior care employees and named for healthcare supporters William E. and Janet Mason, The Mason Center offers classroom instruction and real-world clinical experience and helps connect students with potential employers.

With state and nationally recognized certification programs, The Mason Center provides creative programming that serves the underemployed workforce and seasoned healthcare professionals in Knox and surrounding counties. Our mission is to help students access and navigate exceptional health-related educational opportunities by connecting students to both traditional and non-traditional funding resources. 

The Mason Center Story

What started as a desire to provide employees in the long-term senior care field with opportunities to expand skills and progress in their career has grown into a partnership with Hillcrest Healthcare Foundation to serve the community through an educational center to support current and future healthcare needs in our community.

William “Bill” E. Mason IV, an East Tennessee attorney, worked with Hillcrest Healthcare on a legal project, and when it was complete, the board president asked if he would join the board. Bill did so in 2005 and served 16 years until December 2021.

Bill and his wife, Janet, are passionate about serving their community and focused their service in three areas: senior care, parks and greenways, and education.

They also were supportive of the school their kids attended, Sequoyah Elementary, and expanded support to Christenberry Elementary School in North Knoxville. They saw firsthand the rewards and challenges of senior care when Janet’s mom and dad moved in with them. Bill and Janet cared for her father before he passed away, and her mom was able to have many more years with them.

Through that experience and his service on the Hillcrest Healthcare board, Bill learned more about the balancing act of keeping a charitable foundation financially sustainable while providing quality clinical care. Hillcrest Healthcare serves patients regardless of their ability to pay, and Bill wanted the three Knoxville communities to provide programs that would fit within government funding and provide the same quality of care he would want for his own family.

The Mason Center sits at the intersection of two of Bill and Janet’s passions: education and senior care. As Bill was retiring from the Hillcrest Healthcare board, board members surprised him by sharing that an educational center for senior care providers would be created in the couple’s name.

Barry Davis, president of Hillcrest Healthcare Foundation, shares, “Bill Mason is committed to and passionate about community service and truly goes above and beyond. He can dig into complex matters so well and is generous with his time and expertise. He and Janet are fine examples of what The Mason Center for Healthcare Education stands for, and it is right that their name is attached to the enduring legacy of their work.”

Bill and Janet Mason

Bill is an attorney and has been with the firm Kennerly Montgomery since 2009. Janet is retired from careers in radio and real estate as an owner of Talahi Partners. In addition to The Mason Center, they are involved with Legacy Parks Foundation, United Way of Greater Knoxville and Christenberry Elementary School. They are the parents of three adult children and have five grandchildren. Bill and Janet love watching movies, visiting the beach, spending half their time at their cottage on Norris Lake and hiking and walking – whether in a park or city, on a mountain or through sand dunes.

The Mason Center for Healthcare Education now is offering locally based certification programs for anyone who wants to start or level up a career in healthcare. If you have a passion for service and a desire to pursue a career in the healthcare industry, please check us out today!