OUZ Cuts the Ribbon on New Nursing Wing Expansion
ZANESVILLE, OH – Ohio University Zanesville cut the ribbon on their new and improved Nursing Wing.
The renovations and expansion were made possible by a generous donation of $1.5 Million from the J.W. and M.H. Straker Charitable foundation.
Susan Holdren, the President and Executive Director of the Straker Foundation, said this was an important project for the board because the world of healthcare is always changing and evolving.
“It was an important project for our Foundation to fund because healthcare is extremely important to all of us and we want the best possible and best qualified nursing that we can get,” Holdren said. “So we felt it was really important to provide them with the materials and the aspects that they needed to get a good head start on their training before they take their tests and become full fledged RNs.”
The renovations of the nursing wing at OUZ addresses the urgent need for highly skilled nurses in the region, which has been designated as a healthcare shortage area by the Health Research and Services Administration’s Rural Health Information Hub.
Lewatis McNeal, the Vice Provost for Regional Higher Education and Partnerships, said he’s thankful for all of the support the Straker Foundations as well as the community has shown for the nursing department.
“I think it really just speaks to the moment, right? [The Straker Foundation] has focused on brick and mortar projects before as [Susan] mentioned. They wanted to see what their investment was going to look like,” McNeal explained. “And the fact that they said, okay, we’re coming here, this needs to happen, and we’re going to help. I keep saying it’s a great day, because it truly is, but it’s a testament to ‘it takes a village.’ We have people who are investing in the community here and again that in turn, will produce better nurses who will work here in the community, it’s a win, win.”
For more information on the nursing program or to schedule a tour you can head to OUZ’s website.
