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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 J U LY 1 4 , 2 0 2 5 F O C U S H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S "Sim labs" are all the buzz. Over the past few years, simulation-lab capacity has expanded at Maine's community college system. Husson University in Bangor installed, in the Simulation Education Center at its College of Health and Pharmacy, a HAL S5301 interdisciplinary patient simulator that uses AI to mimic human movement and verbal responses for nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy and pharmacy training. Northern Light CA Dean Hospital in Greenville started a free training program for people who want to pursue a career as a certified nursing assistant. The University of Maine at Augusta opened an expanded dental education clinic in its Lewiston Center, doubling its capacity to educate dental health care profession- als and serve the community. The University of Maine at Augusta's new Capital Center opened in part to house a nursing program that grew from 50 students to 320 over the past five years, with demand for more training seemingly unquenchable. The center accommodates almost 400 nursing students and house three high-tech patient simulator laboratories, includ- ing real clinical gear, robotic, full-body simulators, simulation-specific monitoring, wire- less controllers and audio-visual equipment. of JA Alumni report that JA learning experiences played an important role in shaping their belief they can achieve their goals.* VOLUNTEER WITH JA MAINE. VOLUNTEER WITH JA MAINE. Imagine if these statistics were 100%. You can empower all Maine students with the skills and mindsets to envision a future f illed with choices. *Based on a 2025 Ipsos study 89% 89% 88% 88% believe it motivated them to succeed in their professional life.* jamaine.org WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Worker shortages have affected nearly every industry in Maine, but health care has been particularly vexed over the past several years. The issue was only made worse by the pandemic. Over the past year, Maine has implemented several workforce development initiatives to tackle the problem.