DES MOINES, Iowa — Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines is raising money to build a new nursing school that the college’s president says will help address Iowa’s health care crisis.

The new school will replace a vacant campus building along 7th Avenue in downtown Des Moines. The original building was constructed in 1971, but was deemed unfit for use in 2018, according to Mercy College President Dr. Adreain Henry.

Earlier this month, the college announced it is undergoing its first capital campaign of its 125-year history to build the new school. Their goal is to raise $15-million to construct the Joyce E. Lillis School of Nursing. Lillis is a retired nurse who spent 47 years in health care, 40 of them at MercyOne in Des Moines.

Henry said naming the school after a nurse will be impactful for students.

“Imagine the aspiring students that are going to be walking in to a building named after a nurse, it’s truly going to be inspirational,” he said.

Currently, nursing facilities are scattered across the campus, so this new building will bring the classrooms and simulation labs under one roof. The new two-story school will be 24,300-square-feet, doubling the original building which stands at 12,000-square-feet.

Henry said this new school is bigger than Mercy College. Aside from impacting students, he said the new school will help the current health care crisis in Iowa.

According to Mercy College, the Iowa Workforce Development job postings consistently indicate over 3,500 openings for registered nurses, which makes it the number one need for skilled labor in Iowa.

“Our students and our alum hail from all of our 99 counties in the state and so to be able to provide an education that allows our students to be able to go back into our communities, it really uplifts our community,” he said.

So far, $7.8-million of their $15-million goal was raised, and they’re projecting construction to start in January 2026.