Juniata College is taking another step toward offering a nursing program, while also helping to address a health care shortage in the surrounding community.
College leaders broke ground Friday for the future Gateway Center. The building, which will be located between Huntingdon and Juniata College, will serve as the home for Juniata’s nursing program. The college currently only has a pre-nursing program.
Mary White chairs the college’s board of trustees. Talking to a crowd of more than a hundred people, she said private health care providers will also use the space.
“This building will integrate not only the clinical space, but the educational space, and it's a unique opportunity, I think, for Huntington and Juniata to provide that to our community," White said.
Representative Rich Irvin, who also spoke at the event, said there’s a shortage of primary care providers in Huntingdon County and many have to travel long distances for care.
“So this geographical barrier not only increases the time and costs associated with health care, but also limits the availability of preventative and specialized services, leading to poorer health outcomes for all of our community," Irvin said.
College leaders expect construction of the Gateway Center to finish sometime in 2026.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story said Juniata College cannot accept students until this facility is completed. College leaders say they can start accepting nursing students in the upcoming fall semester since they added education space to another building.
