BUCKHANNON – Fred Eberle Technical Center, West Virginia Wesleyan College’s School of Nursing and Appalachian Impact will each receive $75,000 for healthcare training through a $944,874 award to Community Care of West Virginia.
The Appalachian Regional Commission awarded the public funding through its Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization, or POWER, Initiative. Community Care said in a November 10 release that 10 education and workforce organizations will receive $75,000 apiece.
Fred Eberle will buy equipment for practical healthcare training. Wesleyan’s nursing school will use communication simulations to help students develop clinical communication skills, according to the release.
“Developing a strong healthcare workforce requires investing in people at every stage of their educational and professional journeys,” Community Care of West Virginia CEO Patricia “Trish” Collett said in the release.
Appalachian Impact will add career exploration and leadership activities to its Adventure After School program for sixth- through eighth-grade students. Davis & Elkins College and West Virginia Junior College will use their shares to develop or expand healthcare programs.
Pierpont Community & Technical College’s share will go toward enrollment opportunities, clinical preparation and matching its programs to healthcare employers’ needs. West Virginia University will use its funding for medical students to learn about communities’ healthcare needs through immersion experiences.
Marshall University’s share will help expand its Physician Assistant Program. The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine will use its funding to hire a program manager for clinical engagement.
Glenville State University will offer free health and fitness assessments covering body composition, resting metabolic rate, aerobic fitness and muscular ability, among other measures.
Community Care said the partnerships also fit its plans for the new Community Care of Buckhannon Integrated Health & Education Center, a four-story facility that will expand access to healthcare services. Construction is underway, and the organization expects the center to open in spring 2028.
My Buckhannon reported at the July groundbreaking that the $20 million center at 25 North Kanawha Street would combine primary care, behavioral health, pediatrics, a pharmacy, a fitness center and an education hub.
Community Care plans to use the fourth floor for healthcare training and academic partnerships to help recruit and retain rural healthcare workers. Community organizations could also use it for education, professional development and workforce training in other industries.
The release describes the workforce effort as a response to rural healthcare staffing shortages. POWER supports economic and workforce opportunities in Appalachian communities affected by changes in the coal industry.
Community Bulletin
Morgan Nesland, PA-C, has joined WVU Medicine St. Joseph's Hospital as a pediatric provider at St. Joseph's Rural Health Clinic in Buckhannon, where she is accepting new patients from newborns through age 18. Read more →
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