Spacelabs Invests $720,000 in UMass Nursing Program in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD — Spacelabs Healthcare, a Snoqualmie, Wash.-based medical-equipment manufacturer, recently unveiled a $720,000 investment in the UMass Center at Springfield’s nursing laboratory.

The state-of-the-art Spacelabs equipment includes two Sonicaid fetal/maternal monitors, ambulatory blood-pressure monitors, multiple nursing monitors, and invasive cardiac outputs that will benefit the UMass Amherst College of Nursing’s accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, which serves as a pipeline for rained nurses into the region’s healthcare sector.

Area public officials, hospital administrators, and UMass alumni joined UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, Spacelabs President Sujit Kumar, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno for the grand opening of the newly expanded nursing lab.

The event provided an opportunity to show hospital and community leaders the investment Spacelabs has made in the Springfield and UMass community. The equipment will be primarily used by UMass Amherst nursing students in the accelerated program, which is based in Springfield.

“It’s exciting that Spacelabs understand the benefits of investing in the College of Nursing,” Subbaswamy said. “Nurses are at the frontline of healthcare, using these tools extensively. By providing our students with access to this equipment and fostering faculty research partnerships, Spacelabs has created an opportunity to develop the best possible healthcare-management tools while contributing to our students’ educational experience and job training.”