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The Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare completes $10 million expansion and prepares to welcome students in August

 

Public invited to an open house July 25 with ongoing tours between 9 a.m. to noon

The Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare has completed its $10 million expansion and modernization project and prepares to welcome students to the 2015 school year that begins in August.
 
As part of the celebration of the opening of the School’s new facility adjacent to Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, an open house for the public will take place July 25. Tours will be ongoing from 9 a.m. until noon.
 
The completion of the construction project marks a new era for the School, which will celebrate its 95th anniversary in 2016. In the new and expanded facility, the School offers the latest in nursing education and educational technologies to its students that want to advance in their fields of expertise. Not only does the School provide students with a quality education, with optimum clinical experience at the adjacent Medical Center, but it also provides students the opportunity, through partnerships with the University of Delaware and Wilmington University, to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing. Nurses with master’s degrees are able to seek advanced practice certification and function in their clinical specialties, providing patients with a higher level of care.
 
“We are proud of the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing and how it has continued to advance education and clinical experience in order to prepare nursing students for the growing needs of patients and for the ever-increasing demands of today’s complex healthcare environment,” says School Program Administrator Karen Pickard, MSN, RN, CNE.
 
The Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing is the only hospital-based nursing program in Delaware; and throughout its history has consistently prepared its students to earn high pass rates on the nursing licensure examinations. The School continues to update and revise its curriculum so that the most advanced and relevant education is provided.
 
The new, three-story, 18,000-square-foot building includes the latest in nursing education technologies such as high-fidelity medical simulators that come in the form of computerized manikins. These wireless manikins look like people and can be programmed to produce the symptoms of chronic disease, acute illness, or medical event for which the nurses need to be prepared.
 
The expanded facility also includes modern classrooms with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, advanced clinical laboratories, an expanded library and student space, seminar rooms and administrative offices. It also has doubled the capacity of the school so that enrollment can increase over time.
 
The school is accredited by The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The diploma in Professional Nursing is awarded at the completion of the curriculum, qualifying graduates to be eligible for National Council of State Boards of Nursing NCLEX examination, leading to licensure as a registered nurse.
 
“Just as our healthcare system continues to evolve, the need for well-trained nurses in our community has also grown. Not only do we see a need for more nurses in the hospital, but we also see a need for more nurses for our Population Health initiatives, in our Beebe Home Care program, and to become nurse practitioners to help offset the shortage of primary care physicians,” said Jeffrey M. Fried, FACHE, President and CEO of Beebe Healthcare.
 
Through the efforts of Beebe founders Dr. James Beebe and Dr. Richard Beebe, the school began as Beebe Hospital Nurses’ Training School in 1920. By 1921, it was officially accredited by the Board of Examiners for the Registration of Nurses for the State of Delaware (now the Board of Nursing).
 
Throughout the years, the School continued to meet the ever-increasing needs of Beebe and the community. More than a decade ago, a dream was born to expand the School and make it what it is today. Initial funds were raised beginning in 2002 through efforts of state and federal Legislators and through the generosity of many in the local community. The Beebe Medical Foundation officially kicked off the Nursing Education Campaign in 2011. In July 2011, the Ma-Ran Foundation, established by R. Randall and Margaret Rollins of Atlanta, generously gave a $3 million gift to name the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing. “We are honored to have the nursing school named after Peggy Rollins who is a proud Beebe baby, worked at Beebe as a teenager and served on the Foundation’s Board. Peggy has shared that Beebe holds a special place in her heart. The Rollins family’s generosity no doubt inspired others to donate to complete the campaign and to help us make the school a reality. We are grateful for the other lead donors including the Beebe Medical Center Auxiliary, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hudson, and the Schell family,” says Judy Aliquo, President and CEO of the Beebe Medical Foundation.
 
“We are forever grateful. We also are grateful for the many people whose generous gifts have allowed the School’s expansion to be completed, and for all the educational technologies to be purchased and included.”
 
Caption: The expansion of the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing is complete and the public is invited to an open house on Saturday, July 25. Tours will be continuous from 9 a.m. until noon. The School is located at the Beebe Healthcare campus in Lewes at 424 Savannah Road.
 
Beebe Healthcare is a not-for-profit community healthcare system with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health for the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. It offers services throughout Southern Delaware for residents and visitors, including a 210-licensed-bed hospital, a cancer center, and outpatient facilities providing walk-in care, lab, imaging, and physical rehab services. For more information, please visit us online at Beebe Healthcare.