Saturday, January 21, 2006
 

West Kentucky Community and Technical College nursing student Mantha Riley, 32, of Benton, doesn’t miss the hustle and bustle of the main campus.
 

“There aren’t so many students here, so it’s much calmer,” she said in describing the recently established West Kentucky Health Education Center at Elmwood Court in Paducah. “We don’t have to worry about traffic or parking. And the classrooms are really nice.”
 

The college started holding classes at the center on Jan. 9, almost a year after Paducah Housing Authority Executive Director Cal Ross invited the college to take space once used as a Lourdes medical clinic. The building was empty and required little renovation, director of nursing Dr. Tena Payne said, and the nursing program was expanding rapidly.

The administration elected to move the nursing assistant program to Elmwood because it was growing the fastest within the department. Few of the 45 students who take classes at the facility reside at Elmwood, said nursing assistant program coordinator Harriet Knowles. She said she plans to recruit more residents to the nursing program and developmental education classes.
 

The center also offers CPR and first-aid classes and serves as the region’s only testing center for the state nursing aide registry, meaning up to 20 students test at the center twice a month.
 

Knowles said the center is very convenient for local residents who don’t drive. Further, the day care facility next door is available for parents who want to take classes. The center also features a computer lab with wireless Internet access and a mini-library of nursing texts.
 

“We’ve had a lot of interest from the people who live here,” Knowles said. “A lot of people have stopped by to see what we’re up to. I get a lot of calls. There’s a nice feeling of community here. The housing authority has really opened up to us and asked, ‘What do you need?’ Anything we’ve needed has been provided.”

With five “labs” set up as small patient rooms, the staff has tried to give the students the most realistic experience possible with real hospital beds, syringe disposal boxes, biohazard disposal, and other amenities, Knowles said.
 

Students can practice on six new lifelike dummies, each dubbed “convalescent Kelly.” The heavy dummies feature removable dentures, inflating lungs and false veins to help students practice needle-sticks. One of the dummies is wearing outdated eyeglasses donated by Knowles’ husband, Bruce.
 

“They’re a little big for (Kelly) but they’ll work,” she said, adding that several pieces of equipment were donated by the Lourdes clinic and local nursing homes. “People are willing to give when you tell them that it’s going to help students.”
 

Sophomore Kemberly Sego, 34, of Calvert City said the housing site has a cozy atmosphere.
 

“It’s secluded,” she said. “It’s so quiet. I think we’re able to learn more efficiently. And we get a lot individual attention.”
 

Payne said the college will have a grand opening and naming ceremony for the center in a few weeks.

Printed with permission from The Paducah Sun.