Fort Lewis College now has a grow your own approach to address the region's nursing shortage. With the opening of its new nursing hall, you are watching the Local News Network brought to you by Crystal Martin Sky Casino. I am Sadie Smith. The state of the art facility is home to an initiative partnership between Fort Lewis and the University of Colorado. Anschutz Medical Campus. Students complete their first two years of nursing prerequisites through Fort Lewis, then complete their studies through the CU Anschutz Nursing Program with classes and training offered in the new FLC nursing hall. They graduate with a Bachelor's of Science degree in nursing from the University of Colorado Nursing student, Bailey Martinez is in the first cohort.

Being in the first cohort is super exciting. We get to be the first to go through, first to experience all of the things that it has to offer.

The $2.9 million renovation of Skyhawk Hall features realistic patient rooms, clinical training areas in a simulation lab with advanced mannequins that react like real patients.

The hands-on training is amazing so far. The mannequins can talk to you. You can stick in IVs, and it's really just all around good education. It really prepares you for that patient interaction and really just prepping your skills before you see it in real life.

Martinez also works as a certified nursing assistant or CNA at Animus Surgical Hospital, where she sees firsthand how nursing shortages affect rural healthcare.

A lot of our nurses are getting called in on their days off because we don't have enough staff.

The nursing program at Fort Lewis College will allow students to stay in the area while they complete their nursing degrees. The goal to alleviate the shortage of healthcare workers in the region. Fort Lewis calls the program a grow your own model,

Growing your own, getting people from the local area that want to stay here, that have homes, have families. We think that's going to make a big impact. And not just bringing people to the area, but having them stay long term and be nurses for for the long haul for our region.

More information on the nursing hall and program, maybe found on Fort Lewis College's website. For more information about this and other stories, visit Durango Local News. Thank you for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I am Sadie Smith.