POULSBO — Olympic College announced Tuesday a partnership with Kitsap County and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health to expand 10 new health care programs on its Poulsbo campus.
Using American Rescue Plan Act funding, Kitsap County has allocated $6 million for the first phase of the OC expansion. The three party leaders announced that Virginia Mason Franciscan Health would contribute $2.5 million to the project, while Olympic College would spend $2 million from its own reserves on the plan.
A total of $10.5 million in Phase 1 funding will be used to modernize the existing Poulsbo campus building, built in 2004, to better meet the needs of the college’s three new programs: Radiology Technician, Surgical Technician, and Ultrasound Technician. The estimated cost of retrofitting the 19-year-old building will be $8.5 million, and the remaining $2 million will be used for operational expenses to support faculty and staff in programs, admissions and advising, according to Olympic College.
The seven other health care programs the college will launch are the Marine Corps Bridge Program for Practical Nursing, Phlebotomy Certification, Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician and Respiratory Technician. The college expects to enroll more than 663 students in its health care programs by 2027, according to the college.
“This expansion represents a major milestone for our college and the entire region,” Olympic College President Marty Cavalluzzi said at the press conference. “The growing need for healthcare workers in Kitsap and the Olympic Peninsula, especially in the wake of COVID-19, has highlighted a critical gap in our community’s infrastructure. This expansion responds to that need, providing a path for students to begin rewarding careers in Health care with a sustainable living wage.”
Cavaluzzi noted that the expansion will enhance the college’s educational offerings and provide its students with training and job opportunities. It provides employers with a well-trained workforce and gives the community better access to basic health care services, the president said.
Kitsap County Commissioner Katie Walters said the partnership is a testament to the partners’ shared commitment to meeting the immediate health care needs of county residents, as well as laying the foundation for a healthier, more resilient future.
“The American Rescue Plan Act is designed to provide comprehensive economic relief in response to the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Walters said. “These funds have been instrumental in addressing Kitsap’s economic and public health challenges.”
Toby Sutton, chief human resources officer at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, remembers his 21 years of service in the military and his time working with Navy and Coast Guardsmen. The Marine Corpsman’s Bridge Program is “huge for those who get out of the service and need the next career,” he said at the news conference.
St. Michael’s Medical Center President Chad Melton expressed his thanks to the community.
“Thank you for allowing us to invest in the future of Kitsap County, and our community as a whole, and we are fortunate to be here,” Melton said.
The second phase of the Poulsbo expansion of Olympic College to include the new Health Sciences Building
The second phase of the college’s expansion in Poulsbo will include a plan to construct a roughly 40,000-square-foot health sciences building on the campus to create classroom, laboratory, office space and student housing for the new programs. The college will also bring its existing nursing programs, medical assisting programs and physical therapy assistant program, currently located on the Bremerton campus, to the new building in Poulsbo, according to the college.
A primary care clinic serving low-income individuals will be established in the Health Sciences Building to provide preventive care. Ideally, there will also be a dental clinic to serve the community and the colleges’ dental hygienists and dental assistants can rotate through the clinic to get hands-on experience, said Alicia Nye, dean of Olympian Health Care.
“This is an opportunity for people to change their lives,” Nye said. “We will be able to have these programs where they (students) can get all the services that they need to be able to get a high-paying job and be able to provide for their families and grow within their own community.”
Olympic College has announced a major expansion of its health care programs in Poulsbo, with the addition of 10 new programs aimed at meeting the growing demand for skilled health care professionals in the region. The expansion comes in response to the increasing need for qualified workers in the health care industry and will provide students with a wide range of options for pursuing careers in fields such as nursing, medical assisting, dental hygiene, and more. The new programs will help to meet the needs of both students looking to enter the health care field and employers seeking well-trained and knowledgeable professionals. This expansion represents an exciting opportunity for individuals in the Poulsbo area to pursue rewarding careers in the vital and rapidly evolving field of health care.