New Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Center for Health Care Excellence Celebrates Opening at Lakeshore College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/12/2024
CLEVELAND, WI —
Lakeshore College hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration marking the opening of its new Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Center for Health Care Excellence on Friday, Sept. 6. The 26,000 square foot health care instructional facility doubles Lakeshore’s potential annual training capacity to 1,500 in-demand health care and emergency services students. Over 250 guests attended the event.
Demand continues growing among area hospitals and clinics for thoroughly trained health care professionals in the fields of nursing, radiography, medical assistant, medical coding, ophthalmic assistant, and emergency services. Education and training was defined in the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce Report, released in August, as one of three strategies to focus on to address workforce shortages.
“Our new state-of-the-art facility provides opportunities for increased hands-on training experiences through the use of experiential learning, which is what our simulation labs offer, and is precisely what the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce Report is recommending,” said Lakeshore College President Dr. Paul Carlsen.
According to the task force’s report, the Department of Workforce Development estimates Wisconsin will need an additional 19,000 registered nurses by 2040, but lacks the capacity to train that many new nurses. Carlsen said Lakeshore’s expanded facility helps address that concern.
“The number one challenge in health care today is having a well-trained workforce coming into health care,” said Dr. Imran Andrabi, MD, FAAFM, president and CEO of Froedtert ThedaCare Health, Inc. Speaking directly to students, Andrabi told them they can learn through their mistakes, and the simulation labs are where mistakes can be made.
The new facility supports a multi-disciplinary model of instruction for collaboration among students, providing them additional opportunities for more realistic, experiential training. Public safety students can begin training exercises in Lakeshore’s emergency services training complex and then move to dedicated emergency rooms in the new facility, where health science students engage in advanced care exercises.
The Lakeshore College Foundation raised $3 million for the project, including $1 million – the largest donation in the college’s history – from Froedtert Health and Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity.
Elite Builds, Inc. was the general contractor for the project. Somerville, Inc. was the architect.
Information about Lakeshore’s health science and emergency services programs can be found at gotoltc.edu/programs-and-courses.
About Lakeshore College
Lakeshore College, formerly known as Lakeshore Technical College, is a comprehensive community and technical college educating more than 9,000 students annually. Students enroll at Lakeshore to master real-world, employable career skills and start their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. Lakeshore faculty and staff are focused on providing each student an individualized learning experience.
Lakeshore College is a nationally recognized two-year college. The college was ranked #2 in the nation by Washington Monthly, #17 in the nation by Forbes, #20 in the nation by WalletHub.com, a top-150 two-year college by the Aspen Institute, a 2024 Bellwether Award winner, and named the 2021 Large Business/Industry of the Year by the Chamber of Manitowoc County.
Approximately 800 students graduate from Lakeshore each year, and associate degree graduates report earning a median salary of $55,698 within six months of graduating. In addition to the Cleveland campus, Lakeshore educates students at learning campuses in downtown Manitowoc and downtown Sheboygan. Classes are also offered at additional sites throughout the district. Visit Lakeshore at gotoltc.edu.
