CCSN gets federal grant for Health Sciences Center

Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004 | 9:31 a.m.

The Community College of Southern Nevada will receive a half-million dollars in federal grant money toward outfitting its new Health Sciences Center at the West Charleston Boulevard campus.

The funding, secured by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., will support nursing education and other health sciences at CCSN through the new $19.5 million, four-story, 85,400-square-foot center.

"We are striving to enhance health care in Nevada by meeting a legislative mandate and higher education commitment to double CCSN's nursing graduation rates, so we deeply appreciate Senator Reid's support," CCSN President Richard Carpenter said in a statement.

"His action to secure this funding will help close the critical gap in educating health care professionals by providing essential equipment for our expanding nursing, certified nursing assistant, diagnostic medical sonography and medical office assisting programs."

The center, set to open next fall, will help CCSN in its efforts to graduate 500 nurses a year by 2006, CCSN officials said.

CCSN graduated 129 nurses with associate degrees in the 2003-2004 academic year and expects to graduate 160 in 2004-2005, officials said.