Project Grant CE152449

COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING/CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING - CONSTRUCTION - WILSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE CURRENTLY PROVIDES NURSING AND SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY DEGREES, AS WELL AS SHORT-TERM TRAINING IN OTHER HEALTHCARE SKILLS. BUT TO MEET THE COUNTY'S MULTIPLE, SERIOUS HEALTHCARE DEFICITS MORE FULLY-INDEED, TO MEET OUR REGIONAL DEFICITS--IT MUST EXPAND ITS OFFERINGS TO INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE OF THE IMAGING SCIENCES AND/OR ORAL HEALTH SCIENCES, AND OTHERS IN THE FUTURE. THUS, AN ALLIED HEALTH BUILDING WAS RECENTLY APPROVED AS THE LYNCHPIN OF WILSON CC'S 2021-2031 MASTER PLAN. LITERALLY WITHIN SIGHT OF THE "TIGER GRANT" SECTION OF WILSON'S RECENTLY ENHANCED US 301 CORRIDOR, THIS BUILDING WILL ADD TO THAT ESSENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AS WELL AS AUGMENT THE COLLEGE'S STUDENT AND PROGRAM CAPACITIES. FINALLY, UNLIKE ITS NEIGHBORS, WILSON COUNTY IS A RURAL COUNTY CONTIGUOUS TO TWO URBAN COUNTIES, WITH WHICH IT COMPETES FIERCELY FOR EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYERS, AND EVEN RESIDENT CITIZENS. EXPANDED HEALTHCARE-EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES WILL HELP TO MEET THOSE CHALLENGES. THE STATE-DEFINED SERVICE AREA OF WILSON COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS WILSON COUNTY, WHICH SUFFERS A NUMBER OF HEALTHCARE, EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION, AND OTHER ECONOMIC-RELATED DEFICITS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN RECENT YEARS, WILSON COUNTY RANKS IN THE BOTTOM (WORST) 20% OF NC COUNTIES IN BOTH HEALTH FACTORS AND HEALTH OUTCOMES, IN THE BOTTOM 15% IN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, AND IN THE BOTTOM 10% IN CHILD POVERTY RATE. FURTHER, THESE DEFICITS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFLICT THE COUNTY'S COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, WHICH COMPRISE APPROXIMATELY HALF THE COUNTY'S 80,000 CITIZENS. NOT ONLY WILL THE EXPANDED HEALTHCARE EDUCATION MADE POSSIBLE BY THIS BUILDING PROMOTE WELLNESS IN THESE COMMUNITIES, THE COUNTY, AND THE REGION AT LARGE, BUT IT WILL ALSO INCREASE LUCRATIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE UNDER- AND UN-EMPLOYED ACROSS ALL DEMOGRAPHICS.