Missouri State University - West Plains Campus 905 West Main Street West Plains, MO 65775 Project Director: Mr. Crockett Oaks, Director of Business Support Services Phone: 417-255-7900 Email: crockettoaks@missouristate.edu Website: https://wp.missouristate.edu/ Funding Requested: $2,500,000.00 South central Missouri needs more certified allied health professionals. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical space and hands-on learning experiences at hospitals in this area was limited; however, with the pandemic the obstacles in providing these experiences for students is now even more limited and, of course, more dangerous. While Missouri State-West Plains has several newer (4 years old or less) simulated mannequins for use by its allied health programs, other equipment in the simulation area is old, antiquated when compared with existent hospital and long-term care environments in the area, incompatible to current patient care software programs, and, in some cases, no longer functional. But more concerning, none of these are close to resembling a hospital setting with its varying types of care units. Ultimately, the hands-on training at MSU-West Plains lacks the quality educational experiences needed to better meet today's need for these professionals. A new simulation training lab will also allow: 1) the restart of our certified nursing assistant program, which ended with the start of the pandemic as healthcare institutions restricted access to their facilities, and; 2) a perfect transition point for our apprentices who will be in these programs.