New SIUE health sciences building will address workforce shortages, Illinois officials say
A new health sciences building at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will address the needs of a changing and aging population, university officials said Thursday.
The National Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a demand for 203,700 additional nurses each year through 2026 as baby boomers age and older nurses retire. The new facility at SIUE will allow the school to expand its output of nurses to meet those needs, university officials said in a statement.
The state will pay for the initial phase of a new health sciences building, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on campus.
The first $10.5 million will cover planning and design of a three-story building that will house the pharmacy and nursing schools, among other health sciences departments. A total appropriation of $105.3 million will pay for construction and other capital improvements on campus. Construction of the 221,000 square foot facility is expected to take two years.
SIUE’s nursing school enrolled 1,778 students in fall 2019, an all-time high that included a 17% increase in graduate students and a 2% rise in undergraduates.
The announcement follows Priztker’s visit to SIU Carbondale, where he said state money will pay for renovations to the university’s communications building.
Money for both projects comes from the governor’s Rebuild Illinois plan, a $45 billion statewide infrastructure program.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 11:14 AM.
