Nursing program moving to new home

John Tyler Community College's nursing program is getting a new home in time for the start of the fall 2006 semester thanks to a $1.7 million donation from CJW Medical Center.

The hospital is giving the John Tyler Community College Foundation approximately 15,000 square feet in a new building located on CJW's Johnston-Willis campus.

This public-private partnership will give John Tyler the opportunity to grow its traditional daytime nursing program from 40 to 60 students and its LPN/Paramedic to RN weekend program from 20 to 30 students, allowing the college to expand its efforts to address the nursing shortage facing the Commonwealth.

The new space will also allow the college to consolidate the nursing program's facilities, currently located at John Tyler's Chester campus and at the Featherstone Professional Center, freeing a significant amount of space for other programs at John Tyler.

"This generous gift from CJW Medical Center is not only an incredible example of public-private cooperation within the Commonwealth, but it will also provide substantive benefits to both organizations. Our students will have an opportunity to study next door to a state-of-the-art contemporary hospital and to participate in clinical experiences within that hospital. Additionally, the college will be able

to consolidate two sites into one for its nursing program, provide a home for a new online nursing education endeavor and offer students the use of a totally new facility," said John Tyler Community College President Marshall W. Smith.

The donated space includes classrooms, nursing and computer laboratories and faculty office space.

It will also house the headquarters of the Virginia Community College System's (VCCS) Commonwealth Nursing Program, an online program that is part of a consortium of three VCCS colleges, which includes John Tyler, Blue Ridge and Germanna community colleges. John Tyler's nursing students will not only have close access to the facilities, staff and patient base at CJW, but will also continue to participate in clinical activities at health care facilities across the greater Richmond area.

"The support of organizations and businesses such as CJW Medical Center is vital to John Tyler Community College," said Margaret G. Lewis, chair of the John Tyler Community College Foundation and president of HCA's Capital Division. "This donation will greatly enhance the ability of the college to meet the needs of its students and faculty - and ultimately, to serve the greater community."