The 26,000-square-foot health care instructional facility doubles the schools’ potential annual training capacity.
Lakeshore Technical College hosted a ribbon-cutting Friday to celebrate the opening of its new Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Center for Health Care Excellence.
The 26,000-square-foot health care instructional facility doubles the schools’ potential annual training capacity to 1,500 students for in-demand health care and emergency service roles.
More than 250 guests attended the ribbon-cutting, according to a news release from the college.
The release notes demand continues growing at area hospitals and clinics for trained professionals in such fields as nursing, radiography, medical assistant, medical coding, ophthalmic assistant and emergency services.
“Our new state-of-the-art facility provides opportunities for increased hands-on training experiences through the use of experiential learning, which is what our simulation labs offer, and is precisely what the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce Report is recommending,” said LTC President Paul Carlsen in the release.
The Department of Workforce Development estimates Wisconsin will need an additional 19,000 registered nurses by 2040 but lacks the capacity to train that many new nurses, the news release cites. Carlsen said LTC's expanded facility helps address that concern.
“The No. 1 challenge in health care today is having a well-trained workforce coming into health care,” said Imran Andrabi, president and CEO of Froedtert ThedaCare Health, in the release.
The new facility supports a multi-disciplinary model of instruction for collaboration among students, giving them opportunities for realistic, experiential training. Public safety students can begin training exercises in LTC’s emergency services training complex and then move to dedicated emergency rooms in the new facility, where health science students engage in advanced care exercises.
The Lakeshore College Foundation raised $3 million for the project, including $1 million — the largest donation in the college’s history — from Froedtert Health and Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity.
Elite Builds, Inc., was the general contractor for the project. Somerville, Inc., was the architect.
Information about LTC's health science and emergency services programs can be found at gotoltc.edu/programs-and-courses.