Grant funds nursing education center
Elmhurst College has received a $1.5 million state grant that will be used to help finance the Elmhurst College Simulation Center at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, a state-of-the-art laboratory and classroom facility set to open later this month.
The grant is part of the Illinois Board of Higher Education Independent Colleges Capital Program, which helps fund construction projects for private not-for-profit colleges and universities in Illinois.
"We'd like to thank Gov. Pat Quinn and the board of higher education for making this funding possible," Elmhurst College President S. Alan Ray said. "It will help to create and support a leading-edge teaching and learning environment for the growing number of Elmhurst students who are majoring in science- and health-related fields."
The Elmhurst College Simulation Center at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, a 4,600-square-foot laboratory and classroom space located in the lower level of Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, will enable Elmhurst College's nursing students to practice and build clinical knowledge and skills in safety and without risk to patients. With its location inside a hospital, the simulation center will give nursing students not only more opportunities to meet professionals in their field but also a real-time understanding of health care trends and changing technologies. In the end, the experience will contribute to improved patient care.
The facility, the result of a collaboration between Elmhurst College and Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, ultimately will serve not only nursing students but also hospital staff and, potentially, first responders and other health care providers from across the Chicago area.
The simulation center will open later this month, in time to welcome nursing students enrolled in Elmhurst College's baccalaureate and graduate programs, including the new Master's Nursing Entry program for people who choose to transition into the profession at a leadership level.
The grand opening celebration for the simulation center will be in September.