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Saint Vincent College awarded grant from Appalachian Regional Commission to boost nursing program

Saint Vincent College awarded grant from Appalachian Regional Commission to boost nursing program

by Public Relations | October 21, 2024

LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College was awarded a $662,672 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to purchase equipment and technology for its nursing education and lab facilities on campus.

“This is the first grant that we have received from the ARC,” said Christine Foschia, vice president of strategic engagement and mission at Saint Vincent College. “We are honored to partner with ARC to advance nursing education and prepare highly skilled, practice-ready graduates who can help to fulfill the growing need for nursing professionals in the southwestern Pennsylvania region.”

The ARC this year has awarded a total of $68.2 million to 65 projects through its Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce Economic Revitalization initiative. The initiative directs federal resources to economic diversification and revitalization projects in Appalachian communities affected by the downturn of the coal industry.

Equipment acquired through the grant will enable Saint Vincent students to train in advanced classrooms and patient simulation labs in the David Scaife Family Center for Excellence and Innovation in Nursing. The grant also will enhance the College's recruitment and retention of students in nursing majors, particularly those from underprivileged and underrepresented populations.

In August, Saint Vincent welcomed the first cohort of students to its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The program will prepare students to provide comprehensive care in a variety of acute care, community and rehabilitative settings, as well as to assume leadership roles in the nursing profession. The program includes clinical experiences in diverse healthcare settings, such as hospitals, ambulatory settings, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities and schools.

This past summer, the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing approved Saint Vincent’s Direct Entry Master of Science in Nursing (DE-MSN) program, which will begin in June 2025. The DE-MSN is Saint Vincent’s second graduate program for nursing, in addition to the Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program.

Saint Vincent recently announced plans to build Rhodora and John Donahue Hall, the future home of the Department of Nursing. Construction is expected to begin in February 2025 and be completed in April 2026. The Scaife Center, supported by a grant from the DSF Charitable Foundation, will be located on the first floor.

“With these generous grants from the ARC and the DSF Charitable Foundation, Saint Vincent College will be able to equip our facilities with state-of-the art resources, ensuring Donahue Hall will become an environment of innovation and excellence for our students and faculty,” said Dr. Helen Burns, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, the Rev. Owen Roth, O.S.B., Inaugural Chair of the Department of Nursing.
The College has engaged several clinical partners for the development and implementation of its BSN program. These partners are full-service hospitals (Frick, Latrobe, and Westmoreland Hospitals under the Independence Health System) and specialized providers (UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and Western Psychiatric Hospital). Additional clinical partner sites will focus on health care providers primarily serving elderly patients (Brookdale Senior Living Solutions, Redstone Presbyterian Senior Care and St. Anne Home).

 

Dr. Helen Burns instructs a class of nursing students.

Saint Vincent College nursing students

 

 

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