The University of Rio Grande opens a new McArthur Center to offer affordable education and healthcare
By: Natalie LaFleur
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Athens, OH (WOUB) — The University of Rio Grande opened a new center in McArthur last month to provide affordable education and healthcare resources.
Rio Grande offers free tuition to students who take more than half of their courses at the center. This includes full coverage of books and fees.
The center includes education classrooms, a computer/science lab, and a manufacturing facility. With these amenities, Rio Grande aims to prepare students for the most in-demand jobs in fields like healthcare and manufacturing.
Allied Health, Basic and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant (CDCA), Phlebotomy, EKG, Marketing, Medical Billing and Coding, Medical Scribe, Officiating, Safety & First Aid, Dispatching, Microsoft Excel, OSHA 10 and Traffic Control/Flagging.
The McArthur Center also contains a new Holzer health clinic that is open to the public. Director of Rio Grande McArthur Center Misty Napier says access to education and healthcare is important.
“But it looks a little bit differently in Vinton County when we have such a hard time reaching things like health care, reaching things such as supportive services to help people move through that pipeline,” said Napier. “It’s so important to make sure that we have those wraparound services and the people connected to make that a success pattern, that completion actually happen.”
The state funded the center with $12 million from Governor Dewine’s Appalachian Community Grant Program to make this project possible.
“Because there are so many people that are going to be educated here, and that’s just going to give them the opportunity to have a job, have a good job, maybe have a different job – a better job,” said Dewine. “And that’s, that’s really what, what it was all about. We want everybody in Ohio to live up to their God-Given potential.”
President of Rio Grande Ryan Smith says the center is a step in the right direction for the people of Appalachia.
“You know, Vinton County is the smallest in population. I’ve always felt like it’s arguably the biggest in heart,” said Smith. “They care about their people. And this is a huge step forward.”