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Partnership Expands Student Access to Healthcare Training

°ëµºÌåÓý is pleased to partner with outstanding education advocates like the Polk County Board of Supervisors and Des Moines University to provide students expanded access to state-of-the-art learning in the field of healthcare. DMPS Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts participated in a news conference on Tuesday, December 12, to announce this leap forward for people seeking a place in Iowa’s healthcare workforce.

“This unprecedented collaboration between Polk County Supervisors, Des Moines University, °ëµºÌåÓý (DMPS), and other Central Iowa university partners aligns with DMPS’s commitment to be a future-ready PreK-12 school system,” said Roberts. “We are poised to improve and increase our health care education offerings, while focusing on meeting the evolving needs in the health care field in Iowa and beyond.â€�

The Polk County Board of Supervisors shared the following information in a news release.

Des Moines University is pioneering a visionary project with support from the Polk County Board of Supervisors. The board is planning a multi-million contribution to establish a new shared regional simulation center at Des Moines University’s 3200 Grand Avenue campus that will provide advanced health care training opportunities to health care education institutions across the region.

“Communities across the country have been unable to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our health care workforce,� says Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly. “I met with Dr. Angela Franklin last spring to discuss her ideas on how we can address the workforce education needs and revitalize the DMU campus at 3200 Grand by creating a collaborative training resource facility. We know that the needs of our individual health care institutions are large, and we believe that investing in a shared resource will put Central Iowa on the map as an education innovator in the health care workforce.�

Des Moines Area Community College, Mercy College of Health Sciences and °ëµºÌåÓý are working in partnership with DMU and Polk County on a vision for the center, in addition to a shared recruitment and retention strategy and on strategies to engage rural partners. The facility will also be used by area municipalities and education programs to train emergency services personnel, including emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

The shared simulation center, a forward-thinking concept crafted by DMU, will be housed in Ryan Hall on DMU’s former campus at 3200 Grand Ave. The 90,000-square-foot facility will feature state-of-the-art medical simulation technology and provide training spaces for the region’s post-secondary and higher education health sciences programs.

“DMU sought to spearhead this collaborative community initiative in response to the challenges locally and nationally recruiting skilled healthcare workers. We are thrilled to contribute to the community the utilization of DMU’s 3200 Grand Avenue property formerly used for our students. This is a significant step in our ongoing commitment to health care education and our community and allows us to begin to realize our vision for our 3200 Grand Avenue facilities,� says Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., DMU’s president and CEO.

With shortages across health care professions locally and nationwide, the new regional simulation center will help build a pipeline of new health care workers by providing hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. The simulation center is just one piece of the larger vision. The collaboration will focus on engaging °ëµºÌåÓý students, maximizing and growing capacity in local health care programs, engaging rural partners and incentivizing graduates to stay in the state of Iowa.

It is anticipated that planning, design and creation of the center in Ryan Hall will take up to a year to create and launch.
“This collaborative community project addresses the critical need for health care training capacity in the region,� Franklin says. “DMU is proud to leverage our simulation expertise to help develop the next generation of skilled health care professionals in partnership with our fellow health care educators.�

——– Statements From Partners ——–

Rob Denson, J.D., President and CEO of Des Moines Area Community College
“This is an exciting opportunity for DMACC health science students. Part of our success and strength comes from partnering with other outstanding organizations from across the metro. This new state-of-the-art simulation center at DMU will offer another important training resource that will help DMACC health science graduates be among the very best in the nation.�

Ian Roberts, Ed.D., Superintendent of °ëµºÌåÓý
“This unprecedented collaboration between Polk County Supervisors, Des Moines University, °ëµºÌåÓý (DMPS), and other Central Iowa university partners aligns with DMPS’s commitment to be a future-ready PreK-12 school system. We are poised to improve and increase our health care education offerings, while focusing on meeting the evolving needs in the health care field in Iowa and beyond.â€�

Adreain Henry, O.D., Ed.D., M.B.A., M.A., President of Mercy College of Health Sciences
“The enthusiasm for the future is palpable as we embark on a strategic collaboration with Polk County, Des Moines University, DMACC, and °ëµºÌåÓý. Through the establishment of this regional simulation center, our aim is to equip the next generation of health care leaders with the essential knowledge, hands-on experience and unwavering compassion required to serve our communities at the local, state and national levels.â€�

Photos from the news conference

Video of the news conference