A $2.5 million gift from the Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation enabled Lewis and Clark to break ground Sept. 13, 2005 to construct the Daisy and Roger P. Templin Nursing Building. The facility provides 70,000 square-feet of needed space for the program. The new building allowed the program to triple in size, which is providing Lewis and Clark with a significant way to address the nursing shortage in the area.
The state-of-the-art Templin Nursing Building, which features human simulators and maternity, intensive care and several other types of labs insures that residents of the region continue to receive the best possible healthcare.
Dean of Health Sciences Donna Meyer said the building offers students the best nurse training facility in the Metro East Area. “This facility provides Lewis and Clark nursing students a chance to train on the latest equipment in the field of nursing,” Meyer said. “We are very thankful to Alton Memorial for their understanding of our educational needs, and for their dedication and support of our program.”
The Templins, a brother and sister who spent most of their lives in Alton, established a fund in 1976 with Alton Memorial Hospital to enhance nursing education. Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation, which is affiliated with the hospital, now oversees the Templin Fund and made the donation.
Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation Chairman Paul Lauschke said healthcare providers are facing a critical nursing shortage. "Metropolitan area hospitals, including Alton Memorial, are working to increase the number of nurses and lessen the shortage that will only worsen in the future. Expanding Lewis and Clark’s nursing program benefits the entire region and is a winning strategy for the hospital, community and the College."
Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation Board Member Jack Helmkamp expressed his appreciation to the Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation for its meaningful commitment to Lewis and Clark’s expanding nursing program. “Alton Memorial Health Services Foundation’s commitment to this project will have a lasting impact on the region as additional nurses will be trained each year, adding to the workforce in our region and essentially improving and insuring the quality of healthcare for our area residents for years to come.”
The four-story facility at Lewis and Clark features six tiered classrooms with computers and projection systems, six nursing labs, two certified nurse assistance labs, a learning assistant specialist and testing area, a computer lab, two chemistry labs and two biology labs.