The Cincinnati region's healthcare workforce gap just got a new player. Chamberlain University, the nation's largest nursing school, opened its 25th campus Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Tower at Kenwood, less than 10 miles from Springdale and Sharonville.
The opening matters across the Princeton corridor: Greater Cincinnati recorded nearly 50,000 healthcare job openings last year, with six open positions for every healthcare graduate in the region, according to the 2026 Covista Care Capacity Monitor. Corridor residents who work in healthcare or need it feel that shortage daily.
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus declared Aug. 20 "Chamberlain University Day" and presented a proclamation at the ribbon-cutting.
"We have suffered from a shortage of nurses really since COVID," Driehaus told Fox 19. "And so Chamberlain University opening up here — we're thrilled to have them coming to Cincinnati."
Ohio state Rep. Karen Brownlee, Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, Cincinnati Regional Chamber President and CEO Brendon Cull and Chamberlain President Amelia Manning also spoke at the ceremony, according to a Chamberlain University news release.
Isaacsohn called the campus a long-term investment in the region's education capacity, saying Chamberlain's arrival expands Cincinnati's ability to train nurses for years to come.
What the campus offers
The program runs three years, year-round, with no application fee and no prerequisite courses. A simulation center lets students practice clinical skills before moving into rotations with local healthcare partners.
Executive Campus Director Priya Shastri said Chamberlain intends to complement existing programs rather than compete with them. Closing the region's nursing shortage will take every program working toward the same goal, Shastri said.
Scholarship and youth pipeline
At the ceremony, Chamberlain teamed with social media creator Zachery Dereniowski, known as "MD Motivator," to surprise Cincinnati resident Damenika Jacobs with the inaugural Future Healthcare Hero BSN Scholarship, covering the full cost of her nursing degree. Three additional full-ride scholarships are open to Cincinnati-area residents; no application deadline has been announced.
Separately, Chamberlain and parent company Covista announced a three-year, $150,000 partnership with The Health Collaborative to bring healthcare career exploration programs to middle and high school students through local youth centers across Southwest Ohio. Princeton corridor students, including those in the Princeton City Schools district serving Springdale, Woodlawn and Evendale, could benefit, though no corridor-specific sites have been confirmed.
Deirdre Beluan, CEO of The Health Collaborative, said early hands-on exposure to healthcare professionals changes what students believe is possible for themselves and helps build the nursing workforce the region needs.
What's next
The first cohort of students begins classes Aug. 31. Manning told Fox 19 the accelerated program moves students into the workforce faster, with support built in along the way.
