Contact: Katryn Conlin, Director of Communications
651-385-6364, [email protected]
Grand opening planned on April 9 for Minnesota State College Southeast's Nursing and Health Sciences Center in Red Wing
Red Wing, MN (March 28, 2024) -- On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, Minnesota State College Southeast will hold an Open House and Grand Opening from 4 to 6 pm for the new Nursing and Health Sciences Center in Red Wing, with a brief program at 4:30 pm.
The event will take place at the Red Wing campus, 308 Pioneer Road, Red Wing, MN. RSVPs for the Grand Opening are encouraged but not required to [email protected] or 507-453-1463.
"We invite everyone to come to our Red Wing campus and tour this beautiful new facility," said Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. "We are thrilled to see our students learning in an environment that so closely resembles the kinds of workplaces they will experience upon graduation."
Design and construction of the Nursing and Health Sciences Center was made possible by federal and state funding, including an allocation of $825,000 in congressionally directed spending supported by Rep. Angie Craig, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Tina Smith.
Additional Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) funding provided by the Minnesota state legislature made it possible to upgrade the 100 Wing of the Red Wing campus, including improvements to HVAC and lighting systems.
Construction at the college began in Spring 2023 with demolition of the old 100 Wing nursing classrooms. Last fall, classes were held in temporary locations across the Red Wing campus while the renovation was underway.
Instruction began in the new facility in January 2024, even as some finishing touches were being completed.
The Nursing and Health Sciences Center mimics a real hospital floor, with private patient rooms, a medication room, a nursing station, control rooms, and debriefing rooms -- a state-of-the-art, modern unit that mirrors what students will experience in patient care settings once they graduate.
The enhanced facilities provide students with safe, real-life based clinical learning environments, such as working with high-fidelity mannequins in the nursing simulation labs. The instructors can adjust the mannequin's heart rate, lung sounds, and other physical findings as a situation develops.
"Critical thinking is a requirement for nurses more than ever before. Research tells us that simulation is really the way that students can pull everything together," said Dr. Carrie Travis, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health. "In a controlled simulation setting, we can manipulate patient outcomes so that we can ensure that a student really does understand what to do if a patient has signs of a certain condition."
"This facility will ensure our nursing students are even better prepared to enter the workforce," said Dr. Danielson. "There is an ever-increasing need for trained nursing professionals across southeast Minnesota. The Nursing and Health Sciences Center will not only help us meet the needs of our students, but also the workforce needs of the entire region."
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About Minnesota State College Southeast
Located in the historic river towns of Red Wing and Winona, Minnesota State College Southeast is a community and technical college that provides a flexible, affordable, inclusive, and equitable college environment and offers a clear sense of direction to all students. College faculty and staff genuinely care about students' end goals, whether that be earning an academic award, transferring to university to complete a bachelor's degree, or attaining career skills. Minnesota State College Southeast is a member of the Minnesota State system.