Laid off Baxter Healthcare workers eligible for special assistance from the Trade Adjustment Assistance program

There's a silver lining for Baxter Healthcare workers in Largo who recently lost their jobs as the company's production of home kidney dialysis machines moved to Singapore.

They're part of a group of 3,200 workers in 14 states deemed eligible for special assistance from the federal government, because they were impacted by direct foreign competition.

Under the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, certified workers can receive a range of re-employment services, be trained in new occupational skills and receive "income support" during training. Some workers may also receive job search and relocation allowances.

The Department of Labor, which administers the program, offers more details at www.doleta.gov.

Over the past two years, Baxter has cut about 300 jobs, leaving about 275 employees remaining in Pinellas Park and other Tampa Bay area sites. Some of the jobs were related to the Singapore shift and some to the sale of Baxter's transfusion therapies business.