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(Hyannis, October 25, 2016) Cape Cod Healthcare and Cape Cod Community College have joined forces to enhance the nursing program at the college and help train future nurses for CCHC. Cape Cod Healthcare is investing $1 million into the program, to help support the expansion and renovation of the existing facilities and nursing program. This expansion will enable the college to enroll up to 32 more nursing students each year, who earn their Associate of Science Degree in Nursing, and pass the state RN exam. The new program will help CCHC fill up to 70 jobs each year, paying up to $50,000 or more, with benefits, depending on the position within the organization. It will allow the college to expand its nursing program capacity to meet the needs of CCHC and other healthcare employers in the region. “We are excited to join forces with Cape Cod Community College on a program that gives Cape residents the opportunity to obtain rewarding, well-paying jobs to help support them and their families,” said Michael K. Lauf, President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “The college has long had an excellent nursing program and we look forward to working with them on this new approach, which will not only help us in our RN recruiting efforts, but will enable us to train nurses to provide care in the same great way the community has come to expect from us.” “It is with great pleasure that we announce such a major partnership that will truly make a huge impact on this region,” said Cape Cod Community College President John Cox, Ed.D. “The college and Cape Cod Healthcare have found a way, locally, to meet a critical need.” Enhancements to the college’s nursing program will include: • The creation of two new full-time faculty positions and a new director of the nursing program, to expand teaching and operational expertise needed for the increase in student numbers. • More than double the teaching space and further modernizations of the hands-on teaching laboratory that serves nursing and all other health career programs. Total space in the current nursing program area will expand to become approximately 5,200 square feet, taking over the entire lower floor of the North Building. This will provide expanded clinical learning sites for students. With the expanded learning sites and internship opportunities, graduating RN nurses will be able to enter the workforce for the first time as Novice Nurses. This will strengthen the college’s dual admissions program with UMass Boston’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program on the 4Cs campus. This robust new program will begin in the Fall of 2017. Graduates will, for the first time, have the opportunity to apply for a position at Cape Cod Healthcare. Those hired will study for their BSN degree while working at CCHC. Registered nurses are needed across the CCHC system – from the two hospitals and outpatient centers, to doctors’ offices, to the VNA of Cape Cod. Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians, 5,100 employees and 790 volunteers, Cape Cod Healthcare has two acute care hospitals, the Cape’s leading provider of homecare and hospice services (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility, the Cape’s only local laboratory service and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org. Cape Cod Healthcare. Visit our health news site www.onecapehealthnews.com for the latest in relevant and credible healthcare news.