Great Basin College’s Respiratory Therapy Program gets influx of grant money from charitable trust

ELKO — The Great Basin College Health Sciences and Human Services Department will now have the opportunity to hire a full-time faculty position and equip the skills lab for the Respiratory Therapy Program in thanks to recent funding from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Total funding provided to support the department and programming is $799,995.  

The Respiratory Therapy Program, recently approved at the Board of Regents Meeting in early fall, services both urban and rural demographics by providing the program to students in Elko, Winnemucca, Pahrump and in Reno at Renown Hospital.

Dr. Amber Donnelli, Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services, stated, “The impacts from the recent COVID-19 pandemic have brought to light the shortage of healthcare workers, specifically in the field of Respiratory Therapy. 

While the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) in Las Vegas has a Respiratory Therapy Program, this will be the first such program in northern Nevada. This will fill an imminent need for trained therapists in the rural counties as well as in Reno/Carson City/Tahoe.”

“Training individuals in our rural communities is key to building our rural healthcare workforce,” said Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “We are excited to partner with Great Basin College to bring a respiratory therapy degree program to northern Nevada that will allow future therapists to learn, train, and work in the communities they call home.”

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be presented with an Associate in Applied Science Degree in Respiratory Therapy. 

This will qualify the graduate to sit for board exams and obtain credentials from the National Board for Respiratory Care. 

“We strive to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitude required to think critically, communicate effectively, and provide self-direction while administering care,” said Dr. Donnelli. “We at Great Basin College are grateful for the continued support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust that will allow us to create a future workforce in respiratory therapy. This will help provide a pathway for our students to enter the healthcare industry as well as provide viable care to Northern Nevadans in need of Respiratory Therapists.”