For Immediate Release:
August 28, 2020
Primary Media Contact:
Sally Voth
Public Relations Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 540-868-7134
When the newly-constructed Jenkins Hall, Luray-Page County Center opens in January, it will do so with $368,521 worth of health science lab equipment paid for with a generous grant from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation (CMCF).
Since 2006, Laurel Ridge has been leasing the former Wrangler Jeans annex plant in Luray to serve as the Luray-Page County Center. That site lacks science labs and trades instructional space, while also suffering infrastructure issues.
The new center, on the other hand, will have a general science lab, a health science lab, a trades lab, a computer lab and three classrooms. The science labs will enable Laurel Ridge to offer prerequisite courses for the college’s allied health programs – which are expected to grow in coming years.
Laurel Ridge will partner with Germanna Community College to start a physical therapy assistant program in Luray beginning in fall 2021. Clinical space for the program will be available at Page Memorial Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation, thanks to a partnership with Valley Health. Other health programs that will be offered at the new center include certified medical assistant, nurse aid and phlebotomy, with additional allied health programs planned in the near future.
Allied health program students will be referred to as Claude Moore Scholars.
The CMCF grant will cover several highly-sophisticated pieces of lab equipment, including an anatomage table used for virtual dissection; an autoclave to perform sterilization, various mannequins, four hospital beds, a large variety of medical supplies, and video conferencing equipment.
“The Page County community will benefit in so many ways when the new Luray-Page County Center is up and running – not only will it allow more residents to get a college education and career training in high-demand fields without having to commute, but it will also produce more local healthcare workers in a region that sorely needs them,” said Laurel Ridge President Kim Blosser, herself a lifelong Page County resident. “We will be able to offer our students state-of-the-art training thanks to the funding from this Claude Moore grant.”
The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by Dr. Claude Moore, a successful physician and Northern Virginia landowner who left most of his fortune in trust for the purpose of enhancing educational opportunities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. Dr. Moore left his estate to the Foundation to increase its capacity for philanthropy.
To make a donation to the Luray-Page County Center project, visit laurelridge.edu/foundation.
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Founded in 1970, Laurel Ridge Community College is a multi-campus public institution of higher education. With three locations — Middletown, Warrenton, and Luray-Page County — the College serves eight localities in the Shenandoah Valley and northern Piedmont regions. The localities are the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah and Warren and the city of Winchester. Laurel Ridge offers more than 75 associate degree and certificate programs in a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to providing access to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs offered on site by a four-year institution. Laurel Ridge also serves the business community by offering workforce preparation programs for employees and employers. Laurel Ridge serves more than 9,000 unduplicated credit students and more than 11,000 individuals in professional development and business and industry courses annually.
Laurel Ridge Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees. Laurel Ridge Community College also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Laurel Ridge Community College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Laurel Ridge Community College is an equal opportunity institution providing educational and employment opportunities, programs, services, and activities. Laurel Ridge shall promote and maintain equal employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, marital status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions including lactation, age (except when age is a bona fide occupational qualification), status as a veteran, national origin, or other non-merit factors. Laurel Ridge also prohibits sexual misconduct including sexual violence or harassment. Inquiries may be directed to the Associate Vice President, Human Resources, [email protected], 173 Skirmisher Lane, Middletown, VA 22645, 540-868-7226.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.
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