BACF Provides Major Gift to ACC Foundation’s Simulation Mannequin Campaign

ACC thanks the Brandon Area Community Foundation (BACF) for a generous contribution towards the ACC Foundation’s simulation mannequin campaign. Their gift of $55,000 supports the purchase of high fidelity simulation equipment for training students in the college’s Practical Nursing and Comprehensive Health Care Aide programs.

“We thank the board and staff of the Brandon & Area Community Foundation for stepping up to contribute this major gift; an amount that will allow us to purchase one mannequin for the project,” said Tammy Johannson, President of the ACC Foundation. “With this contribution, we have raised $220,000 over the past two years towards our $240,000 goal. This donation puts us on the home stretch to reach our target.”

The simulation mannequin training will provide two campuses in Brandon and Winnipeg each with one high fidelity mannequin and one high fidelity maternity mannequin. The total cost of the project is over $500,000 with the remaining non-donor portions budgeted by ACC.

“These state-of-the-art training aids will allow our instructors to expose students to medical situations they may never see in their clinical practicum, but in a safe and non-threatening setting,” said Karen Hargreaves, Dean of Health & Human Services. “The high fidelity simulated environment creates an exceptional learning experience, building critical thinking and synthesizing knowledge of past practice.”

“The Brandon Area Community Foundation is pleased to support ACC in providing their nursing students with state of the art training technology,” said Brian Cottom, BACF Chairperson. “Assiniboine Community College plays such an important role in providing education and training opportunities, not only in our community but in Western Manitoba. The support BACF has been able to provide will benefit the health care industry in Westman in the future.”

The college’s two-year Practical Nursing diploma program teaches clinical nursing skills in a laboratory setting as well as applied skills in acute and extended care health facilities, personal care homes, community agencies and private homes. In the last three years, 99 percent of graduates were employed in occupations related to their training.

ACC’s Comprehensive Health Care Aide six-month certificate program prepares students for work in similar facilities, assisting people with activities of daily living, meal and mobility assistance, and observation/reporting of patient conditions.