Health care looks different in rural central Pennsylvania.

The roads are long, the winters hard, and cell service can disappear faster than a heartbeat. In some counties, more than a quarter of the population is over 65, while access to primary care, specialists, and mental health providers continues to shrink.

These are the quiet emergencies—undiagnosed chronic conditions, missed follow-ups, preventable crises—that shape the rhythm of rural health. And they’re getting worse.

The United States faces a staggering shortage of registered nurses. Tens of thousands of positions are currently unfilled. Pennsylvania is home to among the most severe gaps in the country, with over 20,000 nursing vacancies.

The implications are profound, especially in communities where health care infrastructure is already stretched thin.

Juniata College sees not just a crisis, but a calling.

“We’re in a health care desert and know statistically that there are just not enough physicians per capita to meet needs, and so much of health care is going to be at the clinic level, at the level of nurse,” explains Provost Lauren Bowen. “Nurses will be the first point of contact for many people, and they can help prevent health issues and can provide the kind of personal care on a daily basis that people who live in rural communities especially need.”

That understanding—that nurses are central to the future of rural health care—has fueled a wide-reaching promise to both students and residents around Huntingdon. This fall, Juniata will launch a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program—approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing in June—designed not just to fill jobs, but to redefine what it means to be a nurse in America, especially in the most underserved communities.

A Purposeful Program
Leading this effort is Jennifer DellAntonio, who joined the College faculty in January 2025 as the inaugural director of nursing. A seasoned emergency room nurse and passionate educator, she brings more than two decades of nursing education and academic leadership experience along with a deep sense of purpose to the role.

Her calling started early.

“I convinced my classmates to turn our metal lunchboxes into first-aid kits,” she recalls with a warm laugh. “We’d wait on the playground for someone to fall off the monkey bars. One day, it actually happened—my teacher came running over and asked for a Band-Aid. I gave her one, and I remember thinking, ‘This is it. I had found my purpose.’”

From the playground to the trauma unit, DellAntonio’s path has always centered on caregiving. But it’s her belief in the human side of health care—the story behind the symptoms—that fuels her vision for the program.

“Nursing at a place like Juniata is a perfect fit,” she says. “It’s a symbiotic relationship. You need rigorous science—like anatomy, physiology, biology—but you also need compassion, curiosity, and cultural understanding. That’s where the liberal arts shine. This environment helps shape nurses who are not only clinically skilled, but deeply human in their care.”

“Nursing at a place like Juniata is a perfect fit. It’s a symbiotic relationship. You need rigorous science—like anatomy, physiology, biology—but you also need compassion, curiosity, and cultural understanding. That’s where the liberal arts shine.”Jennifer DellAntonio, Director of nursing

An active Health Professions Committee draws faculty toget-her across disciplines to prepare students for future careers and to model the importance of thinking holistically about health education. In recent years, the College launched several health-focused academic offerings, including exercise science and kinesiology as well as a Master of Public Health. Juniata has been building toward this moment for a while.

Now, that long-term vision is becoming reality. The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing officially approved Juniata’s BSN program in June. The first cohort of nursing students will arrive on campus this fall, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Nationwide, 82% of health care employers prefer to hire nurses with a BSN, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. And 93% of nursing graduates secure job offers within six months of graduation, which far outpaces almost every other baccalaureate degree earner.

To ensure its graduates are prepared from day one, Juniata plans to provide clinical practice experiences where care is most urgently needed—nursing homes and public schools as well as a variety of area hospitals. Even before the program’s official launch, the College has made significant investments in a hands-on learning infrastructure.

A New Pulse of the Campus
Currently housed in the Sill Business Center, Juniata’s state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Laboratory immerses students in lifelike clinical scenarios. There are high-tech manikins that simulate everything from neonatal cries to geriatric cardiac episodes. They function as if their organs are operational, replicating medical conditions. Each stage of care—from obstetrics to long-term care—is represented, giving students a full view of the patient lifecycle.

But bigger things are on the horizon.

Just north on Moore Street, the Gateway Center is under construction at the corner of 17th Street. Set to open in 2026, the Gateway Center will become the new home for the nursing program. Juniata broke ground in a public ceremony on April 25, marking a milestone in the College’s mission to be a catalyst for both academic excellence and regional vitality.

“We’re celebrating not only a building, but our commitment to education and our partnership with the community. We’re celebrating Juniata being the transformational force in health care in this region we desperately need.”Mary White ’73, Chair of the Juniata College Board of Trustees

Mary White ’73 is chair of the Juniata College Board of Trustees. She touts the College as a critical linchpin in the economy, a source of pride across the region. “We’re celebrating not only a building,” she said, “but our commitment to education and our partnership with the community. We’re celebrating Juniata being the transformational force in health care in this region we desperately need.”

The building’s third floor will house a next-generation simulation and skills lab—complete with 10 hospital-grade patient bays, bedside monitoring, and medication stations. Specialty simulation rooms will replicate acute care environments, helping students build confidence and competence before they ever step foot into a real hospital. It’s a hands-on experience without the high-stakes environment.

And the patient simulator manikins? They make the move, too. A state-of-the art control room will serve as the nerve center of simulation learning, allowing faculty to manage, observe, and assess their students’ real-time experiences.

But the Gateway Center isn’t just for students.

The lower two floors will bring health care providers—nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and doctors—directly to the Huntingdon community. For students, this proximity creates a powerful mentorship model where learning happens alongside care delivery. For residents, it means expanded access to local, high-quality health services.

“Today is about a solution,” said President James A. Troha at the ceremony. “And that’s really the business we should be about in higher education. How do we lean into those solutions, and who do we do it with?”

Those offerings include Broad Top Area Medical Center, a federally qualified health center that provides care throughout central Pennsylvania. Announced as the Gateway Center’s first tenant at the groundbreaking by President Troha, Broad Top has a lot to gain as well, connecting and collaborating with Juniata students to grow this community’s future doctors and nurses.

“This will be our education hub,” explains Dr. John Roth, chief executive officer of Broad Top Health and Wellness. “One of the hardest things is to get primary care physicians to come to rural America. They can start at Juniata, study nursing, or go to medical school, and then come back here, where Broad Top would introduce them to the communities where we have a presence.”

In 2021, there was one rural primary care physician for every 522 residents in Pennsylvania, compared to one for every 222 residents in urban counties. “The beautiful thing is that this [building] is connected to the community of which we are a part,” shared President Troha at the groundbreaking. “When I’m at Rotary, or in a restaurant, or in a grocery store, people come up to me and say, ‘Thank you! Thank you for doing this!’ We are so excited about what this is going to mean for the Huntingdon region.”

“One of the hardest things is to get primary care physicians to come to rural America. They can start at Juniata, study nursing, or go to medical school, and then come back here, where Broad Top would introduce them to the communities where we have a presence.”Dr. John Roth, Chief Executive Officer of Broad Top Health and Wellness

That is exactly the message Dan Sunderland ’88 loves to hear. He and his wife, Kerry, are two of the Gateway Center’s proudest supporters and their $1 million gift helped build momentum for the nursing program and new facility.

“We’re not just educating nurses, we’re delivering health care to people who need it, right here where they live,” explains Sunderland. As a business leader and longtime trustee of Juniata College—just as his father was—he’s no stranger to service, commitment, and community. But when it came to supporting Juniata’s newest program, the motivation turned deeply personal.

For nearly a decade, his daughter worked in a neonatal unit as a registered nurse. She just finished her master's degree and will become a nurse practitioner. She’s one of several nurses in his extended family.

“I've watched the nurses in my family and see the support they provide, the care they give, and ultimately, that's what motivated us to make this investment in Juniata's future.”

Juniata’s commitment to shape the next generation of nurses has found a big audience, particularly one located about two hours east on Route 22.

“That’s really the vision of the Gateway Center, recruiting and training quality students, exposing them to the critical and satisfying work right here in the community gets them to stay here,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen said at the groundbreaking.

Anticipating a New Path Forward
The dual focus—education and community—was central to why Juniata, already renowned for its preparation of students for health professions, pursued a BSN in the first place.

“The reasons for us to pursue nursing include the shortage that has persisted for several years and the needs of our region and community,” says Bowen. “We also appreciate how health care delivery is changing; we want to anticipate the future of nursing with our BSN program.”

That forward-looking mindset shows up in the BSN curriculum itself. Developed in alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and NCLEX-RN Test, the curriculum embraces a competency-based approach that emphasizes patient-centered care, clinical judgment, interprofessional collaboration, ethical practice, and leadership. It’s academically rigorous yet deeply grounded in human connection.”

“Nursing will be grounded in the best of Juniata,” Bowen says. “We’ll develop in our students a humanistic approach to being a nurse—teaching them to communicate effectively and humanely.”

Sunderland agrees. “We want to make sure that we are harnessing the power of the liberal arts with the nursing program. A nurse is someone very special because they really understand the patient, build understanding with the doctor, understand the administrative side.”

Juniata’s new BSN program will prepare students to lead in complex systems and to listen, serve, and to stay present with the people who need them most.

For Sunderland, this is what uniquely positions Juniata and the surrounding community. “Even though we have this 150-year history together, the next 150 years will be even more valuable for everyone.”