NORTH ADAMS, Mass.—The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has awarded the Massachusetts College Of Liberal Arts (MCLA) $1M to fund the College's new Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) program. 

 

The grant will support the first two years of the program by supplementing its curriculum development and funding the cost of a simulation lab coordinator; nursing journals, textbooks, and testing software; and Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) fees.   

 

MCLA's BSN program received approval from the Board of Registration in Nursing in January 2023 and approval from the Board of Higher Education in March 2023. The program will launch in Fall 2024 and graduate its first class in 2027. It is the first BSN program in Berkshire County and the only four-year nursing program in the rural tri-state area of Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. 

 

The curriculum will integrate MCLA's liberal arts foundation with required courses in the humanities, and natural and social sciences to complement theoretical and clinical courses in professional nursing. Nursing faculty will utilize a simulation lab to provide hands-on learning experiences for students in a controlled environment.  

 

The EOHHS Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) and Human Services Workforce Development Grant Program is set to award up to $42.5M in grant funding for training, recruiting, and retaining initiatives that support HCBS and the human services workforce in Massachusetts. The program helps fund training organizations that develop healthcare professionals, including direct care staff, nurses, behavioral health staff, and community health workers. This mission aligns with MCLA's goal to address the rural nursing shortage and the critical healthcare needs in Berkshire County through the creation of a BSN program.  

 

MCLA is now accepting applications for fall 2023. To learn more and apply, visit mcla.edu/nursing.