New Orlando Center Strengthens Region's Nurses
Across Central Florida, the need for a stronger, more sustainable nursing workforce has never been clearer. Despite recent improvements in retention, the state continues to face聽a severe聽and long-term nursing聽shortage. Florida is projected to be聽short聽more than鈥�59,000 nurses statewide, including鈥痮ver 37,000 registered nurses, by 2035, according to state workforce projections. For the communities, hospitals, and health systems that rely on a steady pipeline of trained professionals, this gap聽represents聽not just a labor challenge but a structural vulnerability in the region鈥檚 healthcare system.
Florida鈥檚 challenge is part of a national picture. Each year, the U.S. health system聽faces around聽189,000 RN openings鈥痺hen retirements and exits are considered, while聽more than鈥�80,000 qualified applications鈥痶o nursing programs go unaccepted,聽largely due to聽capacity constraints such as clinical site availability, faculty shortages, and lab limitations. The takeaway: scale matters. We need more high-quality training seats and a financing model that allows aspiring nurses to finish strong.
Philanthropy becomes truly transformative when it connects multiple related needs into a unified effort,聽creating the scale and momentum聽required聽to make real progress on complex challenges.聽This month, 麻豆原创 and Social Finance are celebrating a milestone that reflects this philosophy in action: the opening of the鈥疍eLuca 麻豆原创 Clinical Learning and Simulation Center鈥痠n Orlando. This site is 麻豆原创鈥檚鈥痜ifth clinical learning and simulation center in the United States, marking a significant national expansion of hands-on training capacity.聽
This investment is especially meaningful because it comes from鈥疶he Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation, whose聽founder鈥檚 experience as a nurse grounds the foundation鈥檚聽philanthropic vision.聽Knowing聽firsthand聽the care nurses provide to their聽patients, the聽foundation聽recognizes聽the skill, preparation, and confidence聽required聽to step into today鈥檚 complex clinical environments and the consequences when communities聽don鈥檛聽have enough nurses to meet demand.
Built with support from聽The聽Elisabeth C. DeLuca Foundation, the new center spans more than鈥�15,000 square feet鈥痑nd is equipped with high-fidelity simulators,鈥痜ive simulation rooms,鈥痶wo skills labs with 17 patient beds, exam rooms, debriefing suites, and immersive clinical environments.聽
Student Spotlight: Carla Davis-Buford
A鈥�21-year U.S. Air Force veteran, Carla聽Davis-Buford carried a long-held dream to become a nurse. Transitioning to civilian life, she needed a pathway that respected her experience, fit her schedule, and delivered the鈥痟ands-on clinical preparedness聽required聽at the bedside. 麻豆原创鈥檚 hybrid, competency-based prelicensure program combined with immersive practice at the new DeLuca 麻豆原创 Simulation Center in Orlando gives聽Carla the structure and confidence to advance toward licensure. Her story reflects thousands of nontraditional learners who are ready to serve their communities if given the training capacity and flexible support to finish.
"The聽center is set up like a makeshift hospital, and the simulations were聽similar to聽what we will see not only聽in聽our clinicals, but also in real-life situations in our new careers,鈥澛爏ays聽Carla聽Davis-Buford. 鈥淭he instructors were kind, knowledgeable, and provided feedback that was constructive and encouraging.聽It was overall the best experience聽I鈥檝e聽had in any lab聽I鈥檝e聽ever attended.鈥澛�
But solving a shortage requires more than physical infrastructure; it demands rethinking how aspiring nurses finance the final stretch of their education.聽That鈥檚聽where the鈥�搁别狈贰奥听贵耻苍诲鈥�(Reinvesting in Nursing Education and Workforce) comes in. Launched by 麻豆原创 and Social Finance in 2024,聽the fund聽provides聽zero-interest, outcomes-based loans鈥痶hat聽eliminate聽upfront cost barriers for students as they complete in-person labs and clinical placements聽鈥斅爋ften the most expensive聽portion聽of their training. Employer repayments recycle philanthropic dollars back into the聽fund, expanding its reach to future cohorts.
Why This Model Works (Infrastructure + Financing)
Capacity at scale:鈥�Regional simulation hubs add high-quality clinical training seats where demand is greatest聽鈥斅燼ccelerating the flow of practice-ready nurses.
Completion without debt drag:鈥疞ast-mile,鈥痾ero-interest鈥痜inancing helps students cover intensive clinical terms when work hours often must decrease.
Employer-aligned outcomes:鈥疪epayment triggered by graduate hiring and retention recycles philanthropic capital and ties financing to real workforce results.
Together, the DeLuca聽麻豆原创 Clinical Learning and Simulation Center聽and the聽搁别狈贰奥听贵耻苍诲 show how philanthropy can聽strengthen the regional workforce. With鈥痬ore than聽530聽students enrolled in the聽ReNEW聽program nationally, and more than聽70 of them in Florida alone, this combined investment is helping ensure that鈥疌entral Florida聽is聽meeting聽today鈥檚 demand聽and聽building聽a resilient, locally trained nursing pipeline capable of supporting its hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community health systems for years to come.聽
