Living and Learning Center coming to Albany still a work in progress

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Progress is still being made on a new learning center in Albany. A center that both Phoebe Hospital and Albany Technical College are building to bring more nurses to the region.

And while the Living and Learning Center is still a work in progress, Albany Tech. staff told WALB that students can expect to be in the new building by the fall of 2024.

Because of this, ATC staff say enrollment has increased.

“First and foremost, we took in our first cohort of the second offering of our ASM program. So we’re now doing both, which is considered our traditional evening program, but also offering a day track as well,” Lisa Stephens, dean of Business and Healthcare Technology Programs at ATC, said. “So we’ve increased the opportunities for students to enroll in the program and then conversely, we have seen growth in the number of people interested in applying to the college for the nursing program.”

But Phoebe CEO and President Scott Steiner said they’re looking to increase enrollment even more.

“No matter if you’re just out of high school, or if you’re middle-aged and thinking about a different career, we’re ready for you to be a part of this exciting time,” Steiner said. “I see it as continuing to produce the nurses of today, and the nurses of tomorrow. Not only for people of Southwest Georgia but heck, it’s okay if we produce nurses for the rest of the state.”

When the new facility is complete, students can expect even more benefits.

“We’ll have a state-of-the-art facility,” Stephens said. “We’re building a very experienced, robust team of faculty members that will be going over. Also, the added bonus of having living spaces for these students, we’re hoping to attract a lot of students that are geographically disperse that are not just from around the Albany area.”

Steiner told WALB they’re working to get into both the middle and high schools to get young people thinking of careers in healthcare early.

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