The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas presented the UALR Department of Nursing with a check for more than $102,000 on Feb. 24.

The grant funding is for the purchase of two pediatric simulation models, to help incorporate pediatric simulation in the current clinical rotation for the UALR Department of Nursing.

Patrick O’Sullivan of The Blue & You Foundation presented the check to UALR Interim College of Science Dean Dr. Ann Bain and SimLab Director Jeff Carmack.

About 200 nursing students enrolled in the associate degree program will benefit from the additional hands-on experience that working on the models will provide, according to Carmack, an assistant professor in the department.

The funding gives SimCare educators better ability to help their students learn to care for school-age patients using appropriately sized high-fidelity mannequins, he said.

The Blue & You Foundation awards grants annually to nonprofit or governmental organizations and programs that positively affect the health of Arkansans. It has awarded more than $2.6 million to 42 health improvement programs for 2014.