Rockbridge County Public Schools has been awarded $60,000 in grant funding from the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, as part of a broader initiative to support health science education programs across Southwest Virginia.
The grant money will enable the school system to purchase a SimRig Ambulance Trainer, to be used in health science classes at Rockbridge County’s new Innovation Center, according to Superintendent Phillip Thompson.
The funding comes from a $391,543.75 grant issued to the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, which serves multiple school divisions in the region.
Thompson expressed gratitude for the funding in an email to The News-Gazette, highlighting its role in expanding hands-on learning opportunities for students pursuing workforce certifications.
“As we are working to properly equip our newly opened Rockbridge Innovation Center,” Thompson said, “this grant funding will allow us to purchase a ‘SimRig’ Ambulance Trainer for our students who are earning workforce certifications in our Health Sciences Academy, including our Certified Practical Nursing program as well as our EMT/Firefighter program.”
The SimRig is a full-scale replica of a modern ambulance, mounted on a trailer axle for mobility. Thompson emphasized that this resource will give students realistic training experience in the confined space of an ambulance, better preparing them for careers in emergency response and health care.
The Claude Moore Foundation’s funding aims to address workforce shortages in Virginia’s health care sector by supporting experiential learning programs in public schools. Rockbridge County is one of several school divisions benefiting from the grant, alongside Alleghany, Pulaski, Roanoke, and Franklin counties, among others.
