Neepawa has officially opened the doors to a facility slated to train licensed practical nurses.
“Working together, we can achieve that goal by supporting the students here in Neepawa that are starting their journey towards fulfilling careers as future nursing professionals,” said Premier Wab Kinew in a news release on Jan. 22.
The Neepawa Training Centre will partner with Assiniboine Community College (ACC) to run a two-year, licensed practical nurse program. Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide health care, usually under the direction of medical practitioners like registered nurses (RNs), according to a job description on the Government of Canada’s website.
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In February of 2023, the previous Progressive Conservative government announced it was giving ACC $2.1 million in operating and capital funding to offer a one-time LPN course. In March of that year, ACC said in a news release it would prioritize applications from people living within 100 kilometres of Neepawa or within the Prairie Mountain Health region.
That program could accept up to 25 students. Twenty students began studies at the centre in January, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.
A new hospital is also in the works for the community. In an Oct. 17, 2022 news release, the province announced it would build the facility with an expanded emergency department, 63 acute care inpatient beds, up from 38 at the current site, and increased space for other programs like surgery and palliative care.
