James Karstetter, UPMC Western Maryland Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Karen Johnson, WMHS Foundation Chief Development Officer, Michele Martz, UPMC Western Maryland President, Dr. Cynthia Bambara, ACM President, Kim Leonard, ACM Board of Trustees Chair, and Rick Cooper, ACM Associate Dean of Nursing and Nursing Program Administrator.
ACM Holds Ribbon Cutting, Dedication for UPMC Western Maryland Nursing Simulation Lab
CUMBERLAND, Md. (September 12, 2022) – Allegany College of Maryland held a ribbon cutting and formal dedication of its new UPMC Western Maryland Nursing Simulation Laboratory, located in the newly renovated Technology Building on the Cumberland campus. The lab, created from a generous gift from the Western Maryland Health System Foundation, supports ACM’s popular Nursing and Allied Health Education program.
“UPMC Western Maryland has long valued the role of Allegany College of Maryland in this community, including the preparation that the College provides to nurses and allied health professionals,” said Michele R. Martz, president of UPMC Western Maryland. “We have a strong history of collaborative projects with Allegany College of Maryland, and now, through the substantial support of our own Western Maryland Health System Foundation, we are able to name the UPMC Western Maryland Nursing Simulation Laboratory at ACM.”
The new simulation lab features the latest medical teaching technology, including programmable and responsive simulation mannequins and Pyxis medication dispensary system, among other interactive workstations. The high-tech lab shows ACM’s dedication to training new health professionals to address the regional and national nursing shortages.
"ACM is committed to educating highly skilled, highly qualified, and compassionate nurses for our region and communities across the country,” said Rick Cooper, ACM’s Associate Dean and Nursing Program Administrator. “Our commitment, combined with state-of-the-art technology and community partners like UPMC, is what has allowed us to hold the ‘gold standard’ for nursing excellence by obtaining both an eight-year ACEN accreditation and a ten-year Maryland Board of Nursing accreditation. We would not be able to prepare our future nurses without the partnership and support of UPMC Western Maryland."
Nursing, the largest program at ACM, has nearly 500 students currently enrolled both in-person and online. Starting this January, the College will expand its Nursing offerings by providing in-person daytime and evening cohorts for Nursing students, an online LPN-RN program, online CMA-LPN or RN programs, and an in-person daytime Practical Nursing Certificate. The deadline for applying for the spring 2023 semester is Sept. 30, 2022.
UPMC has committed a future six-figure gift to support ACM’s Nursing and Allied Health program and scholarships as the College continues to provide the critical workforce needed by UPMC. “We look forward to continuing this partnership," Martz added.
ACM’s Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing and is approved by the Boards of Nursing for Maryland and Pennsylvania. ACM’s online LPN-RN program is authorized in Delaware, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. For more information, visit allegany.edu/nursing or contact Trina Geisler at tgeisler@allegany.edu or 301-784-5570.
For more information on the UPMC Western Maryland Health System Foundation, visit www.wmhs.com/foundation.
