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St. Lawrence College (SLC) is pleased to announce that it will be significantly upgrading its health sciences learning spaces after receiving close to one million dollars from various donors. The upgrades will occur on SLC’s campuses in Cornwall, Brockville, and Kingston over the next few years.
Cornwall Impact
SLC’s Paramedic training facilities on the Cornwall campus will be completely transformed and taken to the next level, thanks to donations totaling $200k, ($100k anonymous, $50k NuMED Canada Inc., and $50k from the Tom and Gail Kaneb Family Foundation). The new labs will include video capture capabilities, equipment, and space to simulate a variety of environments a paramedic might encounter, such as a nighttime roadside collision with low-light and pounding noise. These simulations will create an enhanced learning environment for teaching emergency response procedures. Construction is set to begin in summer 2023.
“The degree of knowledge and experience required of newly graduated paramedics is constantly evolving and changing,” said Jennifer Haley, Associate Dean, School of Allied Health. “By enhancing our labs and creating realistic simulated environments, SLC-trained paramedics will be better equipped for their clinical placements, and to enter the workforce with confidence when they graduate.”
Brockville Impact
On the Brockville campus, a $310k donation ($200k anonymous, $100k from the Tom and Gail Kaneb Family Foundation, $10k from the Don and Shirley Green Family Charitable Foundation) for a Specialty Nursing Lab will transform the campus into an advanced health sciences study hub for all Eastern Ontario. It will create the research and learning environment needed for the development of specialty curriculums such as neo-natal intensive care (NICU), post-anaesthesia care (PACU), operating room (OR) and emergency room (ER) training. Construction is set to begin in fall 2023.
Kingston Impact
A $400k donation from the William James Henderson Foundation will establish a similar specialty Nursing Lab on the Kingston campus, creating a space for specialty curriculum learning. Outfitted with state-of-the art equipment and technology, the Specialty Nursing lab will be a transformational facility with immersive, sensory learning, and will be the hub for students to practice their response to various types of urgent, stressful situations. Construction start is planned for fall 2024.
“The creation of the Specialty Nursing Labs on the Kingston and Brockville campuses will empower the healthcare academic team to offer specialized training and increase student exposure to simulated, specialty environments, in order to create the best conditions for success in the field upon graduation.” said Dr. Barb LeBlanc, Dean, Health and Wellness at SLC. “The labs will not only help SLC students, but it will also serve as a destination for upskilling and reskilling current healthcare professionals, inviting providers from across Eastern Ontario and beyond to upgrade or increase their repertoire of specialized nursing credentials.”
“Each year, we welcome nearly 500 students to our Practical Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs across our three campuses, and another 70 in Paramedic, with over half of our programming is in healthcare or related fields. We are committed to continuing to do our part to train and grow the next generation of the global healthcare workforce,” said Glenn Vollebregt, SLC President and CEO. “The generosity of our local donors is inspiring and truly transformational. Their generosity will directly and positively impact the communities, families, and people our graduates will support in their careers, and will help develop the local healthcare workforce.”
The College will issue updates as construction begins in Cornwall, Brockville, and Kingston and looks forward to hosting community partners and donors to campus to open the spaces once they are completed.
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