Dr. Colette Townsend-Chambers opened Level Up Healthcare Academy in June of 2024 as a training center for Certified Nursing Aides (CNA.)

But Level Up, at 1100 12th Street in Cayce, is much more than a training center. “I feel like we transform lives,” said Dr. Colette. She also said she is populating the growing healthcare industry with more trained professionals, but more importantly, she is helping her students gain a more promising future. 

Earning a CNA certification opens many doors.

“I had a young single-mother as a student,” Dr. Colette said. “She had a job, but it involved some dangerous situations. She completed the training at Level Up and now she is working in the healthcare field without some of the worries she had before.”

Dr. Colette also said she wants Level Up to be a place where everyone feels comfortable. She said she had a student who came to Cayce from Charleston. “She passed several schools on the way. “She said she felt comfortable here. She knew it was the right place for her,” Dr. Colette said. She goes the extra mile to help others into her program, too. 

Dr. Colette, who has trained nurses in Charlotte and at USC, said she picked Cayce because it is a smaller community. She also said she has great relationships with close-by businesses. She has received the Small Business Support Award from the Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce. 

One of her neighbors is All Saints Episcopal Church, which is across the street. Dr. Colette teaches healthcare classes to elderly members of the congregation. She is also working on a plan to partner with Dr. Cindye Richburg-Cotton and the Lakeview-Brookland Empowerment Center to help more potential students in their certification.  

From where does Dr. Collette get her motivation? 

Dr. Colette said she is driven by her energy and passion. She began her career as a CNA, inspired by her mother, a CNA for over 20 years. Dr, Collette has close to 30 years of nursing experience and 6 degrees, including a Doctorate in Nursing Practice, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Dr. Colette said she loves her location at the corner of 12th Street and Knox-Abbott Drive in Cayce. Cayce Chiropractic Center is next door and the new Lexington Medical Center Urgent Care Facility is a block away. Level Up is in a “Medical Corridor” of sorts. 

Cayce City Councilman Byron Thomas represents the district where Level Up is located. 
I’m proud to have Dr. Colette in Cayce and in my district,” Thomas said. “It’s a blessing to have her here. We want this type of business to be here.”

Thomas also said: “Level Up is great for new parents, family members, restaurants, teens, and anyone to get certified in life-saving CPR classes.  And residents who are taking care of their loved ones can take advantage of the services at Level Up to properly care for their aging parents and loved ones.

“As she looks to the future, Dr. Colette said she expects to expand her footprint with the addition of home healthcare training because there is going to be an increasing need for it. Level Up has the capacity to train 8 students in each 6-week class.

For more information, contact Dr. Colette at Level Up Healthcare Academy via phone at (803) 814-0033 or email [email protected].