HealthForce Kentucky to Share Its Immersive Health Science Model at NCHSE 2026

2026 zSpace Program of Distinction honoree will show how one AR/VR ecosystem powers mobile, K-12, and workforce development healthcare training

SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- zSpace, Inc. (OTC: ZSPC), a leading provider of augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) learning solutions for education, today announced that HealthForce Kentucky, its 2026 Program of Distinction, will co-present at the 2026 National Health Science Conference (NCHSE) in Birmingham, Alabama. The session will share how the regional coalition uses immersive health science education to build Kentucky’s healthcare workforce across three settings: mobile outreach, the K-12 pipeline, and workforce development partnerships.

Shawna Kirkland, Chief Operating Officer of HealthForce Kentucky, and Brenda Berube, Ed.D., Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) at zSpace, will lead VR & AR Transforming Health Science Training and Education on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 1:00 to 1:45 PM CT. The interactive session offers educators and program leaders a framework for integrating AR/VR across multiple health science pathways, paired with hands-on learning experiences.

A Statewide Response to a Workforce Emergency

HealthForce Kentucky was formed in 2022 after the state legislature declared an emergency to address the healthcare workforce shortage. Kentucky is projected to be short more than 16,000 registered nurses by 2030, and 54 of its 120 counties are designated Health Professional Shortage Areas, according to figures cited in the organization’s 2025 Annual Report.

The coalition unites nine colleges and universities, healthcare partners, and P–12 school districts across central and western Kentucky. It operates on a hub-and-spoke model: a 35,000-square-foot Innovation Center in Owensboro serves as the hub, while two mobile simulation labs carry training into rural communities.

One AR/VR Ecosystem, Three Pathways

HealthForce Kentucky deploys 80 headset-free zSpace AR/VR Laptops across its programs, now reaching 34 counties and more than 40 schools.

• Mobile outreach: zSpace laptops travel with the HealthForce 1 and HealthForce 2 mobile labs, giving rural students hands-on exposure to healthcare careers in their own communities.
• K-12 pipeline: Middle and high schools can check out zSpace laptops on request, bringing immersive Nursing and Allied Health instruction, including Anatomy & Physiology Dual Credit classes, to campuses without a dedicated lab.
• Workforce development partnerships: A land-based computer lab at the Innovation Center anchors training for adult learners, and Kentucky workforce development partners can check out laptops to deliver immersive healthcare training at their own sites.
  
  

"HealthForce Kentucky is proudly contributing in a meaningful way to accelerating students' finding healthcare career paths. We are doing this by bringing one-of-a-kind resources to them, meeting them where they are. Using one flexible platform across our trucks, customized before each deployment to meet the needs of the school or requester, we are ensuring every learner receives a solid learning foundation, no matter where they live, and we are delivering educational resources to teachers and faculty that they don't have to select, buy and maintain,” said Shawna Kirkland, Chief Operating Officer of HealthForce Kentucky.

Program-Wide Results

Since launching in late 2023, HealthForce Kentucky has engaged 22,727 participants through 542 events and delivered more than 341,000 learner contact hours. Partner institutions across the region have reported a 17% increase in healthcare program applications and a 6% rise in enrollment. In student surveys, 94% said the mobile labs gave them a deeper understanding of healthcare professions.

That impact earned HealthForce Kentucky the inaugural zSpace Program of Distinction in June 2026, recognizing implementations that demonstrate measurable student impact, instructional innovation, and a scalable vision for hands-on learning.

“HealthForce Kentucky has shown that immersive learning scales when it follows the learner, from a mobile lab in a rural county to a workforce training site. We’re proud to share the stage so other states can put this model to work,” said Paul Kellenberger, CEO of zSpace.

Visit zSpace at NCHSE 2026

The 2026 National Health Science Conference takes place October 19 to 22 in Birmingham, Alabama. Attendees can join Session 8 in Room East N at the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex and visit zSpace at Booth 33 for hands-on demonstrations of headset-free AR/VR health science applications. To learn more, visit zspace.com.

About zSpace

zSpace, Inc. (OTC: ZSPC) delivers innovative augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) experiences that drive achievement in STEM, CTE, and career readiness programs. Trusted by over 3,500 school districts, technical centers, community colleges, and universities, zSpace enables hands-on “learning by doing” experiences proven to improve engagement and student outcomes. Headquartered in San Jose, California, zSpace holds more than 80 patents, with research published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2021) validating the impact of 3D virtual reality technologies on student knowledge gains.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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Press Contact:
Amanda Austin
Senior Marketing Director, zSpace, Inc.
press@zspace.com

Learners at HealthForce Kentucky on zSpace Laptops

Learners at HealthForce Kentucky on zSpace Laptops

Mobile outreach

Mobile outreach: zSpace laptops travel with the HealthForce mobile labs, giving learners hands-on exposure to healthcare careers in their own communities.

HealthForce Kentucky, 2026 zSpace Program of Distinction

HealthForce Kentucky, 2026 zSpace Program of Distinction