Del Mar College and London Independent School District have announced a first-of-its-kind regional partnership that gives high school graduates a direct pathway into the highly competitive Registered Nursing program, addressing a growing healthcare workforce shortage along the Texas Coastal Bend.

The "Viking Voyage to Nursing" program begins with London ISD's freshman class this fall semester, guiding students from their freshman year of high school through completion of their registered nursing degree.

The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies projects the state will face a deficit of nearly 56,400 registered nurses by 2036, with nearly 360,500 RNs needed but only about 304,100 expected to be available.

"This partnership creates a clear and intentional pathway for students to move from high school into one of the most critical fields in our community," Del Mar College President and CEO Mark Escamilla said. "By aligning early college opportunities with high-demand workforce need, we are not only investing in the future of health care across the Coastal Bend."

How the program works

Students begin in their freshman year by applying to Del Mar College's dual credit program, taking the TSI Placement Test, reviewing RN admission requirements and scheduling an advising appointment.

Before applying to the RN program, students must complete the following prerequisite courses:

During their senior year, students take the ATI-TEAS nursing education entrance exam, apply to Del Mar College's RN Program by Jan. 31 and complete any remaining coursework, including SPCH 1300 and PHIL 2306.

The program provides students with 14 semester credit hours in prerequisites before they officially enter the college program.

Multiple pathways available

The initiative offers several options depending on a student's goals:

DMC Dean of Business, Entrepreneurship and Health Sciences Dr. Jennifer Sramek emphasized the program's academic demands.

"Del Mar College's Registered Nurse Program is intentionally rigorous and academically demanding because the responsibility our graduates assume is critical to patient care and safety," Sramek said. "Students complete intensive science-based coursework, hands-on clinical experiences and professional nursing training that prepares them to succeed on the national licensing exam (NCLEX) and enter the workforce as confident, highly skilled nurses."

London ISD Superintendent Dr. Bill Chapman highlighted the competitive advantage the program gives students.

"We are pleased to offer this one-of-a-kind dual credit opportunity to our London high school students," Chapman said. "It is a joy to work with a partner like Del Mar College to provide a pathway for our students to get ahead in a very competitive admissions process. Our students will not only be able to complete high school but also get their nursing degree even faster than before resulting in a real impact on our local healthcare workforce."

Students and families interested in the program can contact Del Mar College's Department of Nurse Education at (361) 698-2860 or visit www.delmar.edu/rn.

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A new gas station at Weber and 286 marks the latest sign of rapid growth in London, a community that has expanded dramatically over the past decade.

Lifelong resident Destiny Bueno has watched the neighborhood evolve firsthand. "When I was going to school, there's was no high school, we had to be bused to Tuloso Midway, it's changed a lot, now we have a little convenience store and a restaurant now with that gas station, its a check off my list, she said.

The London area now has roughly 2,000 homes, with hundreds more under construction, and London Independent School District enrollment has more than doubled in the last 10 years. District officials say that pace is expected to continue. In fact, the district has approved the purchase of land so it can expand.

The London Business Association is also growing, increasing from 60 members at the start of the year to 165 today.

City leaders and developers say additional retail and commercial growth is on the horizon. Eric Cantu, District 3 representative, said the area could soon see shopping centers, restaurants, and possibly major retailers such as Walmart or H-E-B.

Expect to see retail go up every month from here on out more stations, more shopping centers and eventually big-box stores will be out here too, said Moses Mostaghasi of Coastal Bend Lots.

For residents like Bueno, who have witnessed the neighborhoods transformation from the beginning, the changes are unmistakable. Probably looking like South Staples on the Southside soon she said with a laugh.

Three intersections in the London area will soon become all-way stops as Nueces County officials respond to safety concerns from growing traffic in the rapidly developing neighborhood.

Nueces County Commissioners approved new stop signs for three intersections along County Road 22 (London Family Road at CR49) at Roads 49, 51, and 53. The cost will come from the county's road and bridge fund.

"Since all the developments in the houses are growing, it's gotten a lot more traffic. And just this year alone, we've had a lot of near misses and a couple of accidents that have been reported," said Tony Saenz, a London resident.

Saenz has lived on County Road 51 for six years and has witnessed the area's rapid growth, which he says presents several safety concerns.

"So I think it's a good thing. It's needed, especially with a lot of our neighbors driving through golf carts, ATVs. My son as well drives his golf cart," Saenz said.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Brent Chesney says the county is trying to prevent accidents before they happen.

"The traffic is increasing, things are going on out there, there's a lot of growth. So it's really a safety issue," Chesney said.

"It's just a lot of people that are, you know, driving fast on county roads that don't have stop signs, they don't have a reason to stop, and so we're just trying to anticipate a little bit," Chesney said.

Saenz believes more traffic control measures may be needed as development continues in the area.

"I think anything that's crossing 22 does need it. Those houses are growing. There's going to be several phases that are going to increase the amount of people living in that area. I think it's needed. I think pretty soon after that, it'll probably need some stoplights as well," Saenz said.

Comissioner Chesney says he'll push for the same change for County Road 22 and County Road 47 in the near future.

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Corpus Christi City Council has given final approval to an ordinance that will make some streets in the London area narrower, but with a last-minute modification to address school district concerns.

The original proposal would have changed four roads in the area of County Road 22 and County Road 43 from four lanes to two lanes. However, after London ISD raised concerns about potential negative impacts on their plans to create more campuses in the district, one street was changed back to four lanes.

Two developers behind the request for narrower roads in the Mirabella and King's Lake West developments argued that the change would provide them with more building space.

"The C1 actually minimizes the amount of land they would be required to develop. And so they are able to have to dedicate less land to the city for a road," Ernie De La Garza said.

De La Garza, the Public Works Director, explained that the developers conducted traffic studies predicting less traffic in the area based on lot sizes.

"In our planning processes, we always try our best to use data, you know, statistical data to try to evaluate whether or not a road is the right size for development," De La Garza said.

At the request of the Public Works and Streets Department, one street was reverted to its original four-lane design to accommodate the school district's future campus plans.

On Tuesday, the City Council unanimously approved the modified ordinance, which will still allow three of the originally proposed roads to be narrowed from C3 collectors (four lanes) to C1 collectors (two lanes).

According to the city, a C3 road typically handles up to 14,000 vehicles per day, while a C1 road accommodates up to 8,000 vehicles daily.

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The city council will get a briefing on a proposal to create TIRZ 7, a tax increment reinvestment zone that would fund the development of about 5,200 acres of mostly undeveloped land in the London area.

A TIRZ is a method for generating funding for projects in designated areas of the city. The funding comes from the value of taxable property in the zone.

Funds generated by TIRZ 7 would pay for infrastructure improvements including roads, utilities, stormwater management, parks, trails and public areas.

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Residents from the London Towne subdivision protested today with signs, but they had nothing to do with politics. Residents told KRIS 6 News that their children have to walk across a busy London Pirate Road, stating, There is no sidewalk, and that kids have almost been hit. Residents also said the kids have to walk in ditches to stay safe.

Nikkie Pereira, a London Towne resident, showed what her yard sign said. "School mandatory, safe access optional?" We all know that our children need to attend school. They're supposed to be there every day. Their access to the school is unfortunately unsafe."

Another resident, William Hargraves, said,"The bare minimum that's being requested is a sidewalk being built."

Pereira and Hargraves were just two of several London Towne residents protesting about the lack of sidewalks along London Pirate Road. They directed their concerns toward Braselton Devlopment.

"It's very scary for a 12-year-old or a 10-year-old to walk along these roads with all these cars zooming by. If the road is super congested, as you saw this morning, there is no safe path for them. So the safest path is the ditch," Pereira said.

Bart Braselton, owner of Braselton Development, tells KRIS 6 that building a sidewalk may sound simple, but he explained why, in this case, it's not."When the subdivision was built, that road [London Pirate Rd] was a county road, owned by the county, and the county does not allow sidewalks on its streets."

Braselton added that the City of Corpus Christi annexed just the roadway itself, not the land around it, further complicating things.

"That ties a lot of hands because then it falls within the policies of the city. That's why we offered to go with the homeowners to petition for a sidewalk to be placed there," Braselton said.

There is a temporary solution in place right now: this granite path. The residents, however, said they are not happy with it.

"That'll last until the next rain, and then that granite will get pushed to the side. I've asked four or five builders that I know in the neighborhood," Hargraves said.

Braselton said the temporary path is ADA-compliant and is used by the city of Corpus Christi for their walking paths. He also mentioned that he has moved up the timeline of building the next unit at London Towne, which he said will ultimately solve the problem.

"We have construction drawings underway for the next unit of London Towne, which includes connecting sidewalks to Lady Claudia Blvd, which is in connection to the school," Braselton said.

That permanent solution would include a concrete path to the school from the London Towne subdivision. It could be finished as early as fall of 2025, according to Braselton.

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