Southern WV Community & Technical College held its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for its newly upgraded and expanded Nursing Department and Program Monday, Sept. 19th.
Faith Bannister | WVOW News
LOGAN Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College conducted a ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony Monday, September 19 for the addition of new nursing labs and facilities on the Logan Campus.
Seven months ago, Governor Jim Justice allocated nearly $23 million in grant funding to 26 nurse education programs throughout the state. The grant dollars were awarded in hopes of addressing the state's nursing shortage.
Southern received over $1 million to upgrade and expand their established program. The expansion covers a new 16-month Accelerated Weekend option of its Nursing Program.
Southern President Pamela L. Alderman said the upgraded facilities and equipment are big wins for Southern West Virginia in more ways than one.
“This will provide a great opportunity for our students, but it will also fill a gap in the nursing shortage in our region. We are grateful to Governor Justice for making this possible for our college, our students, and our region.”
Alderman also spoke of how much the program means to her, and how far it has come from when she started as a nursing faculty member in 1987.
“We would go to the hospitals and we would ask them to please give us all their cast-offs, please give us any expired supplies, any old equipment.” Alderman said. “That's how we had our nursing labs built during that time, and it's taken a long time to get where we are today. To having a state-of-the-art facility.”
Dr. Alderman thanked nursing faculty for their dedication to educating and inspiring generations of nurses. The faculty is just as excited as the President on the new facilities.
“We are tickled to death with this expansion. We never would have dreamed that we would have the wonderful things that we have now,” Southern’s Nursing Director, Sheila Elkins told WVOW News.
The investment is expected to support twenty more new nursing students in the weekend option, ten more traditional students started classes this fall with more to be added in January 2023.
Guests for the grand opening on Logan’s Campus of Southern were given tours of the nursing labs and classes.
Local leaders, hospital officials, school representatives, business leaders and residents saw first-hand instructors and students in real-time lessons. A glimpse at the future of healthcare in the coalfields