DCC cuts ribbon for new building

While local leaders lauded Danville Community College’s accomplishments at a ribbon cutting for its newest building, human simulation dummies lay inside, waiting to be poked, prodded and observed by DCC students.

With more than 100 people in attendance, DCC formally opened Foundation Hall, the beacon of bricks and glass standing on the corner of South Main Street and Kemper Road. The $9.7 million facility, made possible by a grant from the Danville Regional Foundation, houses the college’s new registered nursing program, along with dental hygiene, phlebotomy and pharmacy technician programs.

“These are degrees that will be in demand for years to come,” said Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System. “These are the professionals we need for quality of life … These are jobs that can support a family.”

A host of speakers, including representatives from the Danville medical community, Danville Regional Medical Center, the Danville Regional Foundation and local legislators commented on the benefits these programs and resources will have.

“Danville Community College has become one of the driving forces of economic development in this region,” said Delegate Don Merricks, R-16th District, who attended DCC in the past. “This is a statement building … It makes a statement.”

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Douglas Bunner, recruiting commander in West Virginia, announced a partnership with DCC and the 320th Medical Company in Winston-Salem, N.C., which will provide mentorship and career opportunities between its nearly 300 members and students.

“We saw a natural relationship,” Bunner said. “… We saw it as an opportunity to connect some people looking for a network coming out of school.”

Following the ceremony, nursing students demonstrated some of the school’s many simulation dummies, which range from infants to adults in distress — giving students and teachers an opportunity to teach and learn in almost-real scenarios without the consequences of using real patients.

“It’s great,” said nursing student Holly Vicks, of Ringgold. “You get tired of practicing on each other. We certainly wouldn’t want to catheterize each other.”

The simulators also give teachers a way to uniformly test different students. They can watch and control the machines remotely from an observation room — altering the dummies’ symptoms with the push of a button.

The day’s speakers praised the program — and DCC’s accomplishments — for its effects on the Dan River Region by training a future work force in health care.

“(Foundation Hall is) another bright and shining symbol for the future of our community,” said Dr. B.R. Ashby, former chairman of the Danville Regional Foundation. “…It will serve as a beacon of hope.”