Riverside County Divided Over Plans To Build New Nursing School
Riverside Community College District employees and Moreno Valley city leaders disagree over whether to add a nursing school to the district's Moreno Valley campus, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
At a district board meeting last week, a consultant recommended not adding the nursing school, citing:
- High costs;
- The district's nursing program at Riverside City College; and
- The shortage of qualified faculty and on-site training at area hospitals.
The consultant recommended re-evaluating the subject in five years.
The board is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to accept the consultant's recommendation. At least two district board members said they support creating a nursing school in Moreno Valley.
Nursing faculty at Riverside City College -- where construction on a new nursing facility is set to begin in the spring -- agree with the consultant's report and question the need for a second nursing school.
However, many Moreno Valley city and campus leaders said the new nursing school development would reduce costs and add more opportunities for hospital training. They also argue that the nursing school would fit into city plans to develop a medical corridor around Riverside County Regional Medical Center (Nealon, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 11/18).
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