Sketch provided by Warren County CC (Sketch can be found online at

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf/breaking_news/)

Sketch of the proposed Health Education Center to be built on the campus of Hackettstown Regional Medical Center.Warren County Community College and the Hackettstown Regional Medical Center are teaming up to build a 5-acre Health Education Center on the hospital's campus.

The $24 million facility is designed to train the next generation of health care providers and keep them in western New Jersey.

"We need to educate our own people, put our own people to work to take care of our own people in this region," said WCCC President Will Austin. "This is really going to have a dramatic impact on people's lives in the area."

The project is expected to be completed by 2017, with the first phase done in the next four years. The center should accommodate 600 to 1,000 community college students, Austin said.

FULL ARTICLE

Warren County Community College and Hackettstown Regional Medical Center make plans for new Health Education Center on hospital's campus Monday, October 06, 2008 By BILL WICHERT The Express-Times

Sixteen years ago, Joan Pollner was running a restaurant with her husband and raising three small children when she decided to pursue a nursing career at Warren County Community College.

Now the head of the college's nursing program and working toward a doctoral degree, Pollner hopes a new education facility for health professionals will provide future students with the same opportunities she received.

"It's just a way of giving back to the community and fulfilling the mission of the college," Pollner said.

College officials announced Saturday the college is teaming up with Hackettstown Regional Medical Center to build the $24 million Health Education Center on the hospital's campus.

The 5-acre facility is designed to train the next generation of health care providers and keep them in Warren County, college and hospital officials said in advance of Saturday's announcement during the college president's ball in East Whippany, N.J.

Center to boost economy

The center would also help attract health-related businesses to the county, boosting economic growth throughout the region, officials said.

"We need to educate our own people, put our own people to work to take care of our own people in this region," said WCCC President Will Austin. "This is really going to have a dramatic impact on people's lives in the area."

Hackettstown Regional and the college have started a fundraising campaign aimed at $5 million to begin the three-phased project. Construction is to be paid for through a combination of college funds, donations and state assistance.

The project is expected to be completed by 2017, with the first phase done in the next four years. The center should accommodate 600 to 1,000 community college students, Austin said.

High-tech facility planned

Besides training dental hygienists, pharmacy technicians and other professionals, the center expands on the college's existing health education program, Austin said.

In its seminar room and lecture hall, local health practitioners would be able to communicate via satellite with medical experts from across the country, he said.

With health screenings and seminars, county residents would be able to learn how to keep themselves well before they get sick, Austin said.

Through partnerships with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and other schools, the community college eventually hopes to allow students to achieve four-year degrees through classes at the new center. The college would seek out discounted tuition rates from university partners, Austin said.

Some of the center's professors might even be existing health care employees at Hackettstown Regional, said Gene Milton, the hospital's president and chief executive officer.

"We're looking at building a stable workforce that will be around for a long time," Milton said. "It could be an example that other community colleges and hospitals throughout the country may want to look at and copy."

Positions are in demand

Plans for the center come as Hackettstown Regional and other hospitals in the state struggle to fill shortages in nursing staffs and other medical departments.

With an aging baby-boomer population, the demand for health services is only expected to rise.

Between 2004 and 2014, the number of health care practitioners and technicians in Warren County is expected to increase by 21 percent to 2,850 jobs, according to the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The county's health care support staff should rise by 23.5 percent to 1,000 positions, according to the department.

In a place as vast as Warren County, the center should help the community college bring those opportunities to where potential students live, Austin said.

"We need to bring the education to the people," he said.