December 29, 2022 – Geisinger College of Health Sciences was recently awarded a $2.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant for a School of Nursing renovation project. The funds will be used to renovate and repurpose a vacant building in downtown Lewistown into a fully functional, state-of-the-art facility to house the school.
The new expanded facility will allow the school to increase the number of nursing graduates to serve both Mifflin and Juniata Counties, as well as the Commonwealth, while providing additional space for the growth of the School of Nursing in the future.
As the impacts of the pandemic ripple through the economy, rural hospitals are closing across the United States and Pennsylvania. Rural areas are more negatively affected by the health professional shortages because they care for mostly older, poorer, and sicker populations, often with patients reporting multiple chronic disease, which had increased in complexity since the pandemic. Financially, margins are tighter for rural healthcare providers, especially hospitals.
In its application, Geisinger College cited the numerous benefits of expanded nurse education the funds will support, saying it:
- Increases Pennsylvania’s nursing workforce by doubling of the current class size
- Contributes to the economic revitalization of downtown Lewistown
- Creates direct and indirect jobs, including faculty, contractors, and local restaurants/businesses
- Increases access to health care by boosting the number of available nurses both in the region and Pennsylvania
- Provides necessary space for the future growth of the School of Nursing
The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) Administration is a Commonwealth reimbursement grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Office of Budget. It provides financial assistance for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic, and historical improvement projects.