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Delgado, Ochsner Cut Ribbon on New Nursing School Building
NEW ORLEANS — On April 5, leaders of Ochsner Health and Delgado Community College joined supporters and stakeholders to celebrate the completion of the Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health at the Delgado City Park Campus. Gov. John Bel Edwards, Delgado Chancellor Larissa Littleton-Steib, Ochsner CEO Pete November, LCTCS President Monty Sullivan and others participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony following brief remarks.
The $44 million building was designed by Manning Architects and built by the Lemoine Company. It includes plans for a simulated hospital along with 120,000 square feet of labs and classrooms that can hold up to 1,500 students. It is the first new classroom facility built at the Delgado City Park Campus since the opening of the 60,000-square-foot Thames Hall and 15,000-square-foot Martin Hall in 2015.
For the first time, Delgado is housing the schools of nursing and allied health under one roof. Allied health is a broad term that includes radiologic technologists, respiratory therapists, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapy assistants and more.
In response to a nationwide nursing shortage, health systems and schools are ramping up efforts to train more medical personnel. Delgado and Ochsner hope the new facility will help “meet critical workforce demands and provide more opportunities for local graduates in high-wage careers,” according to an Ochsner spokesperson.
“We have a 100 percent job placement rate for all of our allied health programs,” Delgado’s Cheryl Myers told another new outlet. “They graduate from here, and they want a job, they’ve got it.”
Representatives from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and state government also attended the ribbon-cutting event.
“Delgado Community College welcomes this monumental new opportunity to prepare a new generation of healthcare workers for our region, state and nation.” said Larissa Littleton-Steib, Delgado chancellor. “Delgado and the Charity School of Nursing are household names in our part of Louisiana, and this new state-of-the-art educational facility bearing the Ochsner name as well as ours positions us to enhance our leadership in healthcare education tremendously.”
