GREAT FALLS — Montana State University is now one step closer to having a new nursing education building in Great Falls.
Benefis Health System announced Wednesday that it has signed a letter of intent to donate two acres of land near the intersection of 29th Street South and 18th Avenue South for the building.
The building will be located next to the proposed Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, which hosted a groundbreaking ceremony several months ago.
MSU received a $101 million donation in August 2021 to build new nursing education facilities on the university’s five campuses across the state.
"The land donation makes good sense. We need nurses across the state. So the ability to have a state-of-the-art medical facility for those nursing students here close to the hospital where they do a lot of their clinicals,” said Benefis Health System Chief Nursing Officer Rayn Ginnaty. “It just gives us, Montana State University and Benefis, an opportunity to graduate more nurses.”
MSU said in a news release:
MSU’s nursing college, now named the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, provides baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral educated nurses but has been unable to significantly increase its number of graduates due to limited space. With the Joneses’ philanthropic investment providing new facilities in five cities across the state, the college aims to fill the state’s projected shortfall of nurses by 2030.
Before the land can be officially donated, Great Falls city commissioners have to approve an application for the subdivision of the land.
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