Samuel Merritt University will launch an accelerated nursing program at its Fresno campus next month. Google Street View photo

Samuel Merritt University will host a grand opening and tour of its new Fresno campus on Thursday, ushering in an accelerated nursing program aimed at prospective students and local health leaders.

The campus will kick off its Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program this August, starting with a cohort of 48 students, with a second cohort of 48 students anticipated to start later this fall.

As the only accelerated program in the Central Valley, the program hopes its low student-to-instructor ratio and individualized attention and preparation will be attractive to prospective students. It takes about 12 months to complete.

Based in Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is one of the largest nursing educators in the state and also builds pipelines of physical and occupational therapists, physician assistants and podiatric physicians.

The program launches at a time when the Central Valley is experiencing a critical need of nurses, with estimates predicting a shortage of about 36,000 nurses statewide, according to the UC San Francisco Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care.

Locally, residents surveyed revealed that half of Central Valley residents think their community does not have enough nurses.

“Investing in Fresno and students interested in pursuing health care professions from the regions they grew up in is central to Samuel Merritt University’s commitment to transform the experience of care in diverse communities,” a news release reads.

Samuel Merritt University’s campus is located at 1791 E. Fir Ave. in Fresno. The grand opening event, scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will include Ching-Hua Wang, president of Samuel Merritt University, as well as Dean of Nursing Steven Rush and Assemblymember Jim Patterson.