Regis College is pleased to announce it has been awarded a $350,000 grant from Cummings Foundation’s Sustaining Grant program for its Nursing Resource Center. The Center was launched in 2016 through a $100,000 grant by Cummings Foundation's $100K for 100 program.
“The Regis Nursing Resource Center enables our students to graduate as highly prepared nursing professionals who are ready to transition into professional practice and advance in an evolving healthcare landscape,” said university President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN. “We are grateful to the Cummings Foundation for increasing Regis’ capacity to meet the dynamic needs of emerging registered nurses.”
The sustaining grant allows Regis to increase the university’s ability to provide nursing undergraduate and graduate students with the tools necessary to deliver safe, competent, culturally responsive, and compassionate care to every patient entrusted in their care.
Specifically, the grant allows for more small-group tutoring, National Council Licensure Examination preparation, and outreach to students on the Regis North campus in Lawrence, Mass. via a “roving resources” mobile unit. The unit will bring simulation and virtual supports to Regis nursing students in the Merrimack Valley.
Moreover, the latest simulation material and faculty development made possible by this funding will provide students the opportunity to experience situations in a safe environment that they may not experience in a clinical setting. For example, the Nursing Resource Center coordinated a community simulation day to give practical experience on pressing topics such as cardiac issues related to chronic opioid use, field practice administering NARCAN© for overdose simulation, active shoot drills, workplace violence and stop the bleed training.
“Offering additional resources to support our nationally recognized nursing program enables Regis to expand the Center’s capacity to serve up to 900 nursing students from all backgrounds,” said Dean of Nursing Diane Welsh, DNP. “This grant has a ripple effect that will ultimately benefit the community-at-large by preparing future nurses to provide high quality patient-centered care.”
"We introduced sustaining grants to help alleviate the constant burden of fundraising so non-profit professionals can spend more of their limited time and resources on actually providing services," said Christina Berthelsen, grants manager at Cummings Foundation. “We are delighted to continue to support the important work Regis is doing in the community where our colleagues and clients live and work.”
Cummings Foundation has awarded nearly $250 million to date in Greater Boston alone. Funds are generated through commercial properties that are owned by, and operated for the sole benefit of, Cummings Foundation. All of its buildings are managed pro bono by Woburn commercial real estate firm Cummings Properties. Sustaining Grants winners were selected primarily by a 33-member volunteer committee, which included former state legislators, CEOs of local companies, and a retired justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, among many others. Committee members met with each nonprofit twice to learn how the $100K for 100 funds helped to advance its mission, and how it might put a 10-year grant to use.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings and has grown to be one of the three largest private foundations in New England. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Its largest single commitment to date has been to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
