News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Roane State Cumberland County’s new Health Science Education wing is set to open this fall, a year ahead of schedule.
Campus Director Dewayne McGhee said the facility is expected to produce some 20 nurses every year. He said the project began as a means of combatting the critical nursing shortage nationally and in the Upper Cumberland.
“We’re going to be able to draw from the entire Upper Cumberland area and provide an affordable, convenient local location for them to come and get a very well-paying and highly-rewarding career,” McGhee said.
McGhee said the state funded $1.7 of the $2.5 million project. He said donations from the city of Crossville and other sources helped cover the remaining cost. He said the Roane State Foundation is now in the process of securing private donations to recoup the project expense.
“We’re very thankful to live in a community where there is a lot of support from the local populous in getting involved in putting their money out there to help benefit this program,” McGhee said. “So, we’re very excited about that.”
He said many nursing candidates who could help solve the national shortage may have graduated high school years ago and work full-time jobs among other hefty life responsibilities. He said this program provides an option for those who do not have the opportunity to commit to a four-year institution.
“Not only is nursing just an incredibly rewarding career where you are doing things that are so fundamental to others’ wellbeing, have a real hands-on way of improving the lives of others,” McGhee said. “I’ve known a lot of nurses in my time and it’s definitely a labor of love. It takes a special kind of person to do that.”
