McKenzie County invests in local healthcare workforce with $500K for Williston State College Nursing Wing
M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer
The McKenzie County Board of Commissioners recently voted to approve $500,000 in funding to sponsor the nursing wing at the new Williston State College (WSC) Healthcare Facility. The decision is being lauded as a critical investment in the region’s healthcare workforce and a strategic move to support continued population growth fueled by the oil and gas industry.
The funding was approved following a presentation by Dr. Birnell Hirning, President of Williston State College, who provided an update on the $36.6 million healthcare training facility. According to the WSC website, the project is said to be crucial for Northwestern North Dakota, which generates approximately 75 percent of the State’s revenue, and requires a sustained population to support production levels of 1.2 million barrels of oil per day.
“To sustain such growth, Williston aspires to become a regional hub for healthcare by expanding existing healthcare offerings, and adding new ones,” according to WSC fundraising information. The new facility, which has support from regional healthcare providers in northwest N.D. and eastern Mont., received $28.6 million from the N.D. legislature, combined with $8 million in local funds.
The facility will allow WSC to expand its healthcare programs and bring four-year completion programs to the region from other universities in the ND University System. The funding from McKenzie County is specifically intended to train future healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, to meet the acute and long-term staffing needs of the county.
Commissioner Joel Brown highlighted the urgency and strategic value of the investment, emphasizing the financial and logistical benefits of locally grown talent. “I would imagine that a lot of it revolves around the momentum that our healthcare system in McKenzie County has right now,” said Commissioner Brown. He underscored the vital role the program will play in ensuring the local healthcare system’s stability, stating that its sustainability will “in certain ways depend on the ability to get people, people that will be here permanently and not be travelers that cost three times as much.”
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