PHCC gets new digital anatomy table

Table is one of four college hopes to get within next year

HENRY COUNTY, Va. – It's called an anatomage table.

"It's basically the next best thing to a real cadaver," Patrick Henry Community College associate biology professor Frances Moore said.

Moore said anatomage tables are something few community colleges in Virginia have.

The hope is the technology will encourage people to come to PHCC to pursue health care careers, and then live and work in the area to help fill the need for medical professionals, especially doctors and nurses.

"They can go through dissections with it, like I said, they can quiz on it. We can give practicals on this table, you can do whole labs on this table," Moore explained.

According to the grant application the college submitted for the tables, there are 500 nursing jobs available in PHCC's service area and 6,500 within a 45-minute drive of Martinsville.

The grant comes from the Harvest Foundation in Martinsville.

The Harvest Foundation's program manager for the grant, Dewitt House, says the foundation is excited about the opportunity this provides.

"We're excited about (PHCC's) program in terms of what they're doing to reach out and help build that workforce," he said.

Moore hopes to have all four tables within the next year.