McDaniel College receives federal funding for new Nursing facility

McDaniel College has secured $830,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) to supply equipment for a new state-of-the-art Nursing facility at Carroll Hospital, as announced by Maryland’s U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks. 

The award directly supports the purchase of technology and equipment to be used in McDaniel’s Nursing simulation and skills labs and interactive classrooms housed in the new facility on the campus of Carroll Hospital, part of the LifeBridge Health network. Nursing courses are slated to begin at Carroll Hospital in fall 2026.

“This new facility will provide our students with invaluable, hands-on experience in a hospital environment by allowing them to train alongside practicing nursing and doctors during their undergraduate studies,” said McDaniel President Julia Jasken. “We believe this will not only be transformative for our students but also a game changer in addressing the critical need for nurses. We are grateful to Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks, along with Congressman Johnny Olszewski, for their support.”

LifeBridge Health’s Carroll Hospital has worked with McDaniel to develop the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) to help expand the nursing workforce in Carroll County and the surrounding region.

Leslie Simmons, executive vice president and chief operating officer of LifeBridge Health and interim president and chief operating officer of Carroll Hospital, said, “As a nurse myself, I understand the need and fully support this partnership. I am proud that McDaniel College and Carroll Hospital can do this together for our community.” 

The funding was approved through the fiscal year 2026 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies appropriations bill, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump.

“As we face a serious nursing shortage, it is essential that we expand educational opportunities to train students for this work on the front lines of our health care system. That’s why we worked to secure this federal funding to help McDaniel College upgrade and expand the new nursing facility at Carroll Hospital with state-of-the-art technology and equipment — giving students hands-on experience and training to become future health care providers in Carroll County and across Maryland,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Nurses in Maryland care for our seniors, help prevent illnesses in our schools, and save lives. Nurses are essential to Maryland and across our nation, which is why Senator Van Hollen and I worked to secure $830,000 to purchase technology and equipment for McDaniel College’s state-of-the-art nursing facility at LifeBridge Health’s Carroll Hospital. The nurses at McDaniel College will now gain hands-on experience thanks to this funding — better training means more Maryland lives saved,” said Senator Alsobrooks.