By Lucky Kidd
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Senator Jerry Moran announced Thursday Hutchinson Community College has been awarded $3 million to expand nursing and allied health education programs, in a partnership with Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. Moran said the grant comes from “Congressionally Designated Spending.”
The grant is mostly designed to increase available space and laboratory capabilities of the nursing program and allow an additional 20 students to participate in nursing education programs at HutchCC.
Hutchinson Community College President, Dr. Carter File said this project has been in the works for about three years and began when Hutchinson Regional officials approached them about ways they could collaboratively address shortages of nurses and other health professionals.
“We arrived at this opportunity to use the space here at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, and the college to provide the equipment, to put together a simulation lab which will bring our students onto the (Hutchinson Regional) campus,” File said during the grant announcement held on the hospital’s 4th floor. The hospital will be able to use this space and equipment for their internal training programs. File said in addition to this grant, funding is being provided to ARPA funds from the State of Kansas and Reno County, supplemented by the college’s capital outlay fund.
Hutchinson Regional’s Chief Nursing Officer Jonna (JOHN-uh) Jenkins said this is not only an opportunity for the hospital, but for Reno County as a whole, and reflects on the high quality of nursing program at HutchCC.
Jenkins said students have an incredibly high pass rate on state exams among the highest in the state, and this project will assist in helping keep this talent in Reno County.
This funding will also support program expansion at Davis Hall and the Peel Center where the nursing program at the college is based.
In addition to college and hospital administrators, Thursday’s announcement was also attended by representatives of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, HutchCC trustees, local business leaders and former college president Ed Berger.
