A new $37 million healthcare facility at LIT is transforming medical education to combat the local nursing shortage.
BEAUMONT, Texas — A new $37 million healthcare training facility at Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) is reshaping the future of medical education in Southeast Texas.
The state-of-the-art Workforce and Allied Health Training Center officially opened for classes this year, aiming to address the region’s ongoing nursing shortage.
The 51,000-square-foot building houses essential programs such as nursing, phlebotomy and pharmacy technology. According to LIT President Sid Valentine, the investment represents a major step forward for both the institute and the local healthcare system.
“The building we’re standing in was a $37 million project. Everything in this building was designed to be very immersive,” Valentine said.
The facility broke ground in April 2023 and now serves as the new home for immersive, hands-on learning experiences. One of the highlights is the advanced nursing skills lab, where students train using lifelike mannequins.
“Our mannequins can talk, they can cough, they sweat, we can check pulses,” said nursing student Nyaah Guillory, LVN. “We can assist them just like we would for an actual patient.”
Guillory emphasized the benefit of receiving training close to home, noting the importance of serving the Golden Triangle area.
“I don’t desire to go anywhere. I’ve tried Houston, and that is not where I prefer to be. I want to be here at home,” she said.
LIT has also launched a new Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program, which Valentine says is the only ADN program available in the region.
“When our students go here for two years, they can immediately go out and practice in the field,” he said. “Our goal is to address the ongoing nursing shortage, especially in our local community. And we’re already seeing a 100% passage rate for some exams.”
Valentine believes the new center will have an immediate impact on the area’s hospitals by equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.
“When they leave here, someone’s paying them to go to work,” he said. “By having this building here, that allows us the opportunity to do that… they can come to us, get a great education, and have an immediate impact on our hospitals.”
The first class of students in the new program is expected to graduate in spring 2026.
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