County College of Morris recently held a grand opening ceremony for the Paragano Family Foundation Healthcare Simulation Center, a new, 13,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility housed on campus, providing real-world, hands-on training for students studying one of the many in-demand areas in health care.
Through the generosity of Eileen Paragano and the Paragano Family Foundation, the college can bring together nursing, respiratory therapy, radiography, drug counseling and additional health care programs in an enhanced clinical teaching space replicating a real medical center.
“We are excited to have opened this simulation center and are grateful to the Paragano Family Foundation and our other supporters for helping to provide our students with this invaluable training experience,” Anthony Iacono, president of CCM, said. “This facility allows our students to train in a realistic and dynamic setting to prepare them for successful careers in health care. Thank you for changing the lives of what will be thousands upon thousands, for the better.”
In the center, students work with such high-tech equipment as patient monitors, ventilators and IV pumps. Further enhancing their learning experience is a full camera system to record students as they train and to share with others remotely, a private, debriefing room where students can review their exercises with faculty, and additional adjacent teaching spaces.
“There is a need in Morris County and beyond for professionals in the health care field, (and) this facility we celebrate today provides the space,” John Beyel, vice chair, CCM Foundation board of directors, said.
Eileen Paragano, secretary of the CCM Foundation board and also a CCM graduate, was amazed at the renovated space and humbly thanked everyone for attending the ceremony.
“When I first saw this space, it was a closet,” Paragano said. “I am glad I saw it before, otherwise it wouldn’t have had the same impact to me.”
Paragano concluded that, most importantly, the center is dedicated to her late husband, N. Larry Paragano Sr.
This impactful and innovative learning environment at CCM would not be possible without the generous gifts from the Paragano Family Foundation and other generous supporters, including the A.P. Kirby Jr. Family Fund, Atlantic Health System, the Carolyn Jane Scott Charitable Trust, the Hyde and Watson Foundation, Anthony Iacono and Deborah Iacono, Jessie Lee, Monica Maraska and New Jersey Natural Gas.
Iacono said, “Healthy communities could not start at CCM without gifts like yours.”
Director of Morris County Commissioners John Krickus spoke at the event as well: “We need to have skills for our workforce, and that is why the Morris County commissioners have been so supportive.”
As these and additional health care careers emerge in our rapidly changing environment, CCM is at the forefront. The Paragano Family Foundation Healthcare Simulation Center is already used by CCM faculty, staff and students.
The college also recently announced plans for the new 70,000-square-foot Center for Health Professions and, once that is complete, the Simulation Center will be moved into the new building.
