Capito announces funding for Concord and Bluefield State

Aug. 11—BLUEFIELD — Both Concord University and Bluefield State University are benefitting from federal dollars through Congressionally Directed Spending.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said this week Concord will receive $1.6 million to support the renovation of existing facilities at Concord's main campus to provide a permanent home for their new school of professional nursing.

Capito, who is on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the money will help face the challenge of a nationwide nursing shortage.

"I'm confident that this funding will help support the efforts of Concord's new nursing school when it comes to providing quality education, which ultimately trains our future healthcare workforce as we currently face a nursing shortage," Capito said. "This shortage is a major challenge to our health care system, and something I hear about frequently and have worked to address. I'm thrilled to deliver this support on behalf of all the hard-working administrators, staff, and students in Athens, and look forward to seeing the program make a positive impact on our communities."

Concord President Dr. Kendra S. Boggess the new program would not be possible without support from legislators.

"For 150 years, Concord University has educated professionals to serve the needs of West Virginia and beyond," she said. "Expanding Concord's degree offerings to help combat the nursing shortage our state and many others face would not be possible without the support of our representatives. Because of this funding, Concord University will be able to offer state-of-the-art facilities for our students to better prepare them for the demands of the health care field. Thank you, Senator Capito, for your continued support."

Bluefield State University is receiving $300,000 to remodel space in its Medical Education Center.

The funding will be used to increase healthcare workforce training capacity at the Center, located in the former Bluefield Regional Medical Center.

"Bluefield State has been an educational cornerstone in southern West Virginia for generations," Capito said. "I'm pleased to help deliver the support they need to help expand the training capabilities of their Medical Arts Education Center. I will continue to use my role on the Senate Appropriations Committee to direct resources that make our state stronger, and prepare our students for success in the future."

BSU President Robin Capehart said the money will be used to enhance students' opportunities.

"Bluefield State University is very grateful for the efforts of Senator Capito," Capehart said. "The $300,000 in Community Project Funding will be utilized to remodel existing space at the Medical Education Center (formerly BRMC) into classrooms, teaching labs, and community clinics."

This will help serve the community as well, he added.

"The intent of the University, as an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), is to address minority health disparities in this region by providing free health care services to the community," Capehart said. "These services will include administering vaccines, mammograms, blood pressure checks, glucose screenings and health fairs."

Capito secured a total of $241.1 million in direct spending measures for initiatives and projects across West Virginia through the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations omnibus package, which was passed in March.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com