Roane State Community College receives two donations in support of new Knox Regional Health Science Education Center

Roane State Community College has recently received two gifts via the Roane State Foundation that will assist the college with the building of its new Knox Regional Health Science Center. The two gifts come from TeamHealth and from United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC. The construction project began in 2023 and is expected to be completed in the Fall 2026 semester.

According to an article on Roane State Community College’s website, the gift from TeamHealth is in the amount of $200,000. Leif Murphy, who serves as the CEO of TeamHealth, was quoted as saying of the organization’s donation, “TeamHealth is proud to support this important project in partnership with Roane State and TCAT Knoxville, and we are excited about the potential of the new center to bring more qualified healthcare professionals to our region.”

TeamHealth’s website states that it is an “innovative healthcare industry leader founded and led by physicians.” Dr. Lynn Massingale is a co-founder and chairman of TeamHealth, and is also the co-chair of Roane State Community College’s Thrive Campaign, which is the Roane State Foundation’s fundraising effort for the Knox Regional Health Science Center.

The new Knox Regional Health Science Center will house existing healthcare programs offered by Roane State Community College and TCAT Knoxville, as well as new programs that will come to fruition once the health science center is open for use. Current programs that will be moving over to the Knox Regional Health Science Center include nursing, EMS, polysomnography, and respiratory therapy, and planned future programs include cardiovascular technology, healthcare administration, ultrasound, and public health. The center will also house a nursing simulation center.

Chris Whaley, the president of Roane State Community College, said, “The need for highly skilled healthcare professionals is more critical than ever. In order to bridge that gap for our communities, we are expanding our footprint and growing programs already responsible for educating an estimated one in three first responders and healthcare workers in our region.”

The other recent gift for the health science center comes from United Cleanup Oak Ridge, LLC, or UCOR. Quoted in another article on Roane State Community College’s website, UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said of the company’s $50,000 gift, “UCOR and Roane State enjoy a mutually beneficial partnership, and we see this new Center as aligned with our company’s community commitment goals – to continue supporting career opportunities that will benefit students across Roane County’s 10-county coverage area and across East Tennessee.”

UCOR has been supporting Roane State Community College in several ways recently, having also given $40,000 to the Environmental Health Technology and Chemical Engineering Technology programs for student scholarships and equipment upgrades.

Scott Niermann, who serves as the executive director of the Roane State Foundation, said, “This pledge moves us closer to our goal of ensuring all students have access to an excellent health science education. We look forward to building on this strong partnership with [these organizations] as we prepare to welcome the first students through the doors of this new campus next year.”

The total amount of money needed to complete the construction of the Knox Regional Health Science Center is $75 million. 

For more information about Roane State Community College, visit the school’s website.