Greater Cincinnati employers posted nearly 50,000 healthcare job openings last year. For every healthcare graduate the region produces, six positions sit unfilled.

Those figures, from the 2026 Covista Care Capacity Monitor fielded by Gallup, point to a workforce gap that stretches well beyond Hamilton County into Warren County and the surrounding region.

Chamberlain University, which describes itself as the nation's largest nursing school, opened its 25th campus in Cincinnati on Aug. 20. The first Bachelor of Science in Nursing classes began Monday, Aug. 31. The campus at 5905 E. Galbraith Road offers a three-year BSN track with no prerequisite courses, no application fee and six start dates per year, according to Chamberlain's website. It is the university's second Ohio location, joining a Columbus campus.

Ohio House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, who represents House District 24, spoke at the ribbon-cutting.

"We are expanding our education capacity for the long run by welcoming Chamberlain University … to our community," Isaacsohn said at the Aug. 20 event, according to a Chamberlain press release.

The shortage is not unique to Cincinnati. U.S. nursing schools turned away 93,176 qualified applications in 2025, according to data the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) released in May. Entry-level baccalaureate programs accounted for 75,255 of those rejections. The association identified insufficient clinical placement sites, faculty, preceptors and classroom space as the primary barriers.

Closer to home, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has been expanding its nursing pathway since 2023 with help from a $1.5 million Hamilton County grant funded by federal pandemic-relief dollars. The Health Collaborative, which coordinates regional healthcare workforce efforts, helped secure the grant. The money allows Cincinnati State to serve up to 100 additional nursing students per year.

Chamberlain and its parent company, Covista, also announced a $150,000 donation backing a three-year partnership with The Health Collaborative. The partnership will bring healthcare career exploration programs to Cincinnati-area middle and high school students at local youth centers.

At the campus opening, Chamberlain awarded its first Future Healthcare Hero BSN Scholarship, covering the full cost of a nursing degree, to Cincinnati resident Damenika Jacobs. Three more scholarships were announced, with applications open to Cincinnati-area residents.

Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus declared Aug. 20 "Chamberlain University Day" in the county. Classes are underway at the new campus.