The nursing industry, a cornerstone of public health, has seen unprecedented challenges following COVID-19. Nationwide, the demand for medical professionals, particularly nurses, has surged. In Allegany County, dedicated efforts are being made to cultivate and grow the nursing workforce pipeline, ensuring an ever-ready medical workforce for the region.  The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Western Maryland, a prominent healthcare institution in Cumberland, hasn't remained untouched by these global concerns. "Yes, we've definitely been impacted by COVID-19 and the national nursing shortage. Nurses were hard to come by for years before that anyway, but the past couple of years have been extreme,” shares Brook Emerick, Recruitment Lead at UPMC.  But there's a silver lining: “However, we are starting to trend downward with the number of nurses that we need. I think a lot of that is due to partnerships with the schools for the graduate nurses,” says Emerick. For UPMC, the local talent pool remains essential, with Emerick noting, "Most of our hires come from the Allegany County area and are from Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) or Frostburg State University (FSU)."