The Mon Health Medical Center Foundation is proud to present a two-year investment of $200,000 to expand Fairmont State University’s capacity for nursing education. Through this investment, Fairmont State University will be able to hire additional faculty that in turn will allow more students to be trained in the field of nursing.
The United States, including West Virginia, is facing a nursing shortage due to an aging population, with estimates that 80 percent of patients over age 65 have multiple health conditions thus requiring more frequent visits to healthcare agencies; the aging RN nursing workforce; expanded healthcare coverage; and a limited capacity for nursing programs to expand.
“This generous gift from The Mon Health Medical Center Foundation will allow Fairmont State University to expand its nursing program’s capacity,” explained President Mirta M. Martin, Ph.D.
“This is vital – not only does this gift allow us to help more students follow their dreams and advance their careers, but it also enables the University to provide more highly trained, professional nurses to a region battling a healthcare crisis.”
Hospitals have a long tradition of serving as anchor institutions within their communities—not only by providing healthcare, but by hiring local workers and contractors, buying locally, and building new clinical facilities.
“As Mon Health has expanded, our need for qualified nurses has increased,” explained Daphne Scordato, Mon Health’s Chief Nursing Executive. “We recognize the high-quality care our nurses provide in some of life’s most challenging moments.
Their compassion, confidence, and skill drive extraordinary patient care and as a community hospital, we are extremely excited to work with Fairmont State University and continue to invest in nurses within our state.”
Compounding the nursing shortage is the lack of nursing faculty resulting in nursing schools turning away qualified applicants in baccalaureate and graduate programs.
“To meet the needs of patients in our region, hospitals have added new additions and expanded the roles of RNs. Our partnership with Mon Health will provide additional registered nurses for our region who are prepared to help address the multiple healthcare challenges we face,” said Dr. Laura Clayton, Associate Dean of Nursing at Fairmont State University.
About Mon Health: Mon Health is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient centers and hospitals in North Central West Virginia that works together to make healthcare more accessible and affordable to the communities it serves.
The Mon Health Medical Center Foundation is a non-profit organization a part of Mon Health Medical Center which provides a variety of programs to raise and manage funds. These funds help to improve facilities, provide equipment and programs and support our community through health career scholarships. For more information, visit monhealth.com.
About Fairmont State University: For more than 150 years, Fairmont State University has been educating students across West Virginia and beyond its borders. In 1923, the Fairmont State Normal School first offered a four-year bachelor’s degree program in education, making the school a college.
Today, Fairmont State University offers more than 80 programs of study in business, education, engineering and technology, fine arts, liberal arts, and nursing. Graduate programs have been developed in architecture, education, business, criminal justice, healthcare management, and national security and intelligence.
