Forks Community Hospital is proud to announce that we have been accepted as a community partner in the Washington State Department of Health’s Rural Nursing Education Program (RNEP)!

RNEP was created to help address Washington’s rural nursing shortage through a “grow-your-own” approach—giving people who already live and work in rural communities a pathway to become registered nurses without having to leave their communities to pursue their education. Students complete nursing coursework remotely while gaining hands-on clinical experience within their local rural health care setting.

We are especially excited that three Forks Community Hospital employees will have the opportunity to participate in the program through Lower Columbia College beginning in 2027.

Lower Columbia College is one of RNEP’s academic partners, helping provide remote, place-based nursing education for rural students.

For Forks Community Hospital, this is about more than education. It is an investment in our employees, our nursing workforce and the long-term health of the communities we serve.

We are incredibly proud of our three future nursing students and excited to support them on this journey!