The vision of Nebraska State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, to ensure communities in northeast Nebraska have enough nurses to care for their residents, has passed a final hurdle. Today, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed a bill that will fund a University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing Northern Division in Norfolk.
The bill provides for operating expenses — $425,000 in fiscal year 2009 and more than $1.4 million in fiscal year 2010 and thereafter. Expenses include payroll for faculty and staff, curriculum resources and equipment, as well as shared maintenance expenses.
Funds to build the facility came entirely from private donations. A Northeast Community College capital campaign goal of $11.9 million launched in February 2008 was exceeded and is believed to be the largest campaign amount ever raised in northeast Nebraska. The campaign continues to raise funds for an endowment fund for the facility.
Construction of a 43,747 gross square-foot, state-of-the art facility, which will be located on the Northeast Community College campus, is expected to begin soon with a tentative opening date of August 2010.
The new division was prompted by Flood’s desire to help address the growing demand for acute care in northeast Nebraska, and the associated need to increase the number of nurses with bachelor’s and graduate degrees. It is estimated that there will be a shortfall of 1,216 full-time nurses by 2010 and 3,838 full-time nurses by 2020 in Nebraska.
Northeast Nebraska, which already has fewer registered nurses and nurses with bachelor’s and master’s degrees than other regions in the state, will be hit particularly hard by this shortage.
“What started three years ago with a letter to Chancellor Maurer has become a reality,” said Flood. “The Norfolk area has re-charted a new course, one that embraces our strengths and builds for the future. The addition of the nursing division will pay dividends for generations to come by addressing critical health care needs and giving our best and brightest the educational opportunities they need to be of service to others.”
He said the partnership between Northeast Community College (NECC) and UNMC will serve as national model for collaboration and partnership between institutions of higher learning. For their commitment to statewide excellence, he applauds University of Nebraska President J.B. Milliken, UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D., Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, Bob Bartee, and UNMC College of Nursing Dean Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc.
Dr. Maurer said UNMC takes pride in its role of addressing the needs of all Nebraskans. “We see ourselves as a 500-mile wide campus. This new division is a marvelous accomplishment,” Dr. Maurer said. “This public-private partnership will change the health care outlook for the region and will become an economic driver. The state itself will be more robust as there is a workforce shortage of nurses across Nebraska.”
He thanked those involved in making the partnership happen. He thanked Flood, Milliken, the Board of Regents, Gov. Heineman, State Sen. Lavon Heidemann, chairman of the appropriations committee, and the Nebraska legislature.
“We also thank the residents of northeast Nebraska for supporting the development of the division, the Northeast Community College for being a vital partner in creating a national model for nursing education, and to the Faith Regional Health Services which will provide, and has already provided, a lot of support for this effort,” Dr. Maurer said.
Northeast Community College president, Bill Path, Ed.D., said the governor’s signature on the bill marks the end of a long journey that will ultimately lead to improved health care for northeast Nebraskans. “With the successful completion of our capital campaign, we can begin construction soon. We welcome the UNMC College of Nursing to our campus and look forward to providing exemplary education for all levels of nursing for generations to come.”
Last week, Dr. Path announced with a capstone gift of more than $1 million from Norfolk philanthropists, J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh, the facility will bear the name J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh College of Nursing. The gift helped the campaign exceed its goal and establish an endowment fund.
University of Nebraska Regent Chuck Hassebrook of Lyons, who serves northeast Nebraska said the formation of a new nursing division in northeast Nebraska is a great example of a local, grassroots initiative. “It also is the university at its best – one that works to serve the needs of Nebraskans,” he said.
"The new College of Nursing Division in Norfolk represents a great partnership between the university, the community college, the private sector and the community, and it will play an important role in meeting Nebraska’s health care needs,” said Milliken. “I applaud Sen. Flood’s leadership on this initiative and the governor and legislature for their support.”
Jim Sinek, president of Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk, said the establishment of the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division is a significant achievement for Northeast Nebraska.
“The bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral nursing degrees will transform nursing recruitment and the registered nurse staffing mix, as well as impact clinical research at Faith Regional Health Services. “I am proud of the fact that early on, Faith Regional Health Services was a leader both conceptually and financially to make this dream a reality.”
The UNMC College of Nursing, located in Omaha, has divisions in Lincoln, Kearney and Scottsbluff. The Northern Division in Norfolk adds a fifth division.
Virginia Tilden, D.N.Sc., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing said she and the faculty are excited to have a fifth division.
“We celebrate the governor’s and legislature’s funding of this program,” Dr. Tilden said. “The UNMC College of Nursing has long embraced a multi-campus approach in order to educate nurses for all of Nebraska. This division means more new nurses, more nurses with advanced degrees, and more future faculty.”
Flood’s vision, she said, became a reality because of the success of the public-private partnership.
“By joining forces across public and private lines, we can make things happen. The success of the new division shows that. It has been an enormous pleasure to work with Northeast Community College and Faith Regional Health Services over three years of planning, and we celebrate with our Northeast partners and the citizens of the region this critical action that funds the operations of this new initiative,” Dr. Tilden said.
She said the college now will be focused on the appointment of faculty and staff, since in the fall of 2010, the division expects to welcome its first class of students.
When completed in 2010, the facility will house six levels of nursing education, including NECC’s basic nurse aide, licensed practical nursing and associate degree nursing programs and UNMC’s bachelor of science, master of science, and doctoral programs. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing would fulfill their general education requirements through NECC classes.
When completed in 2010, the facility will house six levels of nursing education, including NECC’s basic nurse aide, licensed practical nursing and associate degree nursing programs and UNMC’s bachelor of science, master of science, and doctoral programs. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing would fulfill their general education requirements through NECC classes.
Once fully operational, the nursing division could admit 48 students each year to its bachelor’s degree in nursing program, 10 to 20 in its master’s degree in nursing program, and some doctoral students. UNMC officials anticipate that the first class of students graduating from the new division could boost the workforce in the region by about 13 percent.
Megan Promes, who recently graduated from Norfolk Catholic High School, said she and her family are happy to have a UNMC nursing division in Norfolk. In addition to saving money by living at home, Promes said she will be able to keep her job and be near her family and friends. “I look forward to pursuing a career in nursing. I think it’s awesome that I can pursue my dream in my hometown,” she said.
“What others are saying” quotes
Jerry McCallum, Madison County Commissioner
“The College of Nursing will be a great asset to northeast Nebraska and Northeast Community College. The private sector and the communities of northeast Nebraska came together on this great accomplishment because we believed. This accomplishment will be appreciated and talked about for many years as students will earn their degrees, work and stay in northeast Nebraska and the state. It will maintain our ability to curb the nursing shortage. I’d like to thank all of the public officials – city, county and state – who helped us achieve our goal.”
Sue Fuchtman, mayor of Norfolk – “What an exceptional partnership between Northeast Community College and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. My thanks to the campaign leadership who established outstanding nursing education right here, through a commitment of financial support from private donors throughout northeast Nebraska. The support of Faith Regional Health Services as a partner in the educational process is invaluable. These supporters accepted the challenge and will now see this UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division a reality.”
Ron Briggs, CEO of St. Francis Memorial Hospital in West Point – “The new UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division will make it more convenient and cost-effective for students to get a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in nursing. With the shortage of nursing professionals and the forecast of this shortage to worsen, the college will provide an avenue for those interested in nursing to get their education close to home and heighten the chances that they will seek that education. Many of these students are married, have started families or have responsibilities that prevent them from attending school in Lincoln or Omaha. The proximity of the new nursing school in Norfolk will increase the number of students getting their nursing degree and help the shortage in Nebraska — not just northeast Nebraska — for years to come.”
Ron Cork, CEO of Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital in O’Neill – “Nebraskans can be proud of everyone that has had apart in making the UNMC College of Nursing in Norfolk a realty. The new Northern Division will benefit the entire state and increase the overall availability of quality nursing graduates for many years to come. Patients and patient care in Nebraska will be the ultimate beneficiary of the hard work and financial sacrifice of the many people and institutions that have made this possible.”
Vic Lee, CEO of Boone County Health Services in Albion – “The new school of nursing is a testimony of what can be done when two great organizations – the UNMC College of Nursing and Northeast Community College — work together to develop a program that will be an example of collaboration and imagination for others to follow. This program will serve as a tremendous resource for those of us in rural Northeast Nebraska to alleviate an impending nursing shortage. As our aging nursing population leaves the workforce, the ability to obtain a nursing degree close to home will be critical for anyone seeking to work in this rewarding field.”
J. Paul and Eleanor McIntosh, Norfolk philanthropists
Eleanor McIntosh — “I am so thrilled to help bring this building to Norfolk and northeast Nebraska. Norfolk could not get a better program. We are so low on nursing numbers both here and nationwide. We have the means to make donations like this and there’s no better place to put our money. This new College of Nursing will educate good nurses to serve our entire area.”
J. Paul McIntosh — “The excellent nursing care, the personal nursing care provided by the nurses at our own Faith Regional Health Services has meant a great deal to our family. Good nursing care is so, so important.”
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