Johnson County Community College is planning to break ground on a new healthcare education building at its main campus during the 2026-2027 academic year, a project the college says is meant to keep pace with soaring student demand for nursing and healthcare careers across the region.
The college announced the plan as part of a broader rollout of new academic offerings and campus investments for the year, saying the building will support “the growing number of students interested in healthcare-related programs and careers—and meet state and regional workforce demand,” according to Johnson County Community College. JCCC's main campus is in Overland Park. The new building traces back to a 10-year Facilities Master Plan that JCCC's Board of Trustees approved in 2025. McCown Gordon Construction is named as construction manager at risk on the master plan, with Smith Group serving as collaborative design partner and programming lead.
Why JCCC Says It Needs More Space
The push for a new building lands against a backdrop of brutal competition for nursing-program seats. In 2024, 52% of applicants to JCCC's Registered Nursing program were not admitted, with the college attributing the bottleneck to classroom space constraints and faculty capacity, as reported by the Johnson County Post. To chip away at that gap, JCCC plans to add a second Registered Nursing application cycle beginning in Spring 2027, giving prospective students both fall and spring entry points instead of just one annual shot.
The same outlet's report notes that JCCC's existing Healthcare Simulation Center already features four full-size acute care rooms and a surgical room where students train, infrastructure the college has built up even as applicant demand has outstripped available seats.
A Statewide Workforce Crunch
The stakes extend well beyond JCCC's classrooms. Per state projections cited by the Johnson County Post's reporting, Kansas will need to fill more than 3,000 registered nurse positions by 2030. Compounding the pressure, nearly 40% of registered nurses intend to exit the field within five years, according to the 2025 University of Kansas Medical Center report cited by the Johnson County Post.
JCCC is not the only institution racing to respond. Research College of Nursing and HCA Midwest Health celebrated a ribbon cutting in April for a $36.5 million, 78,000-square-foot academic facility and clinical advancement center at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, a project that brings the nursing college and the HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement together in one location to connect classroom learning with clinical practice.
Overland Park Gains Another Nursing Option
Just down the road, Chamberlain University opened its 24th campus in Overland Park in early 2026, with classes beginning January 5 at 6130 Sprint Parkway, Suite 300. The campus adds another university presence in the area amid the statewide shortage.
Exactly how construction on the new main-campus building will proceed, including its cost, size, and precise site, has not yet been detailed publicly beyond the college's stated plan to break ground sometime during the 2026-2027 academic year.
