DUNMORE — An addition to the Keith J. O’Neill Center for Healthy Families at Marywood University will prepare students for careers in the health care industry through enhanced technology and opportunities to gain valuable experience.
The new, 15,000-square-foot Pascucci Family Health Sciences Pavilion brings nursing students, previously housed in a different building across campus, into the same space as the other health profession students.
“Equipped with modern labs, classrooms and collaborative spaces, the pavilion will foster an environment of innovation, learning and growth,” said Renée Zehel, Ph.D., vice president for university advancement. “It will serve as a hub of interprofessional education, preparing students to work collaboratively in real-world health care settings. This facility will not only benefit our students, but it will also address the growing need for compassionate health care professionals in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond.”
The approximately $11.5 million cost of the pavilion was funded through the support of the Pascucci family and other donors, in addition to $2.6 million U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, secured for the project through a Community Project Funding grant.
“I think we can all agree the nurses are the backbone of our health care system,” Cartwright said. “They provide the front-line care that northeastern Pennsylvania families and patients rely on. At no time in history has the need to support nursing education been more important. As our population ages and our health care workforce diminishes, nurses and advanced practitioners are becoming ever more central to the health and well-being of our community.”
Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., who will retire as president of Marywood University on June 30 after eight years at the helm, expressed satisfaction regarding the addition to campus.
“It has really exceeded my vision,” she said. “It’s aesthetically beautiful and there are students already in there. “They’re already working, and they look so happy. They learn with a very realistic approach and when they go out into the field, they’re appreciative because they have the knowledge and skill level. It has been a dream of mine that our students studying the health sciences would all have the same spaces and opportunities for learning.”
Theresa Tulaney, chairwoman of Marywood’s nursing department, feels the facility will provide future health care professionals with the tools they need to succeed.
“It’s a big, beautiful space with updated technology that is going to help students graduate with the basic skills they need to provide compassionate and comprehensive care,” she said.
Lindsey Whitaker, an assistant professor of practice, who teaches medical procedures among other courses, believes the mock operating room will be a vital resource for students.
“It’s enormously important for our students because usually the first exposure they get to the operating room is on their rotation and they’re scared to death,” she said. “It gives them experience before they get out into the field.”
