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For Immediate Release
4/23/2009
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Ryan Nawrocki
410-601-5026
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LifeBridge Health Joins Forces to Alleviate Nurse Shortage
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LifeBridge Health today announced its contribution to the Who Will Care? initiative to double the number of nurse graduates in Maryland.
With the health system's total pledge of $1,000,000, the University of Maryland will receive $266,400, Stevenson University will receive $266,400, Morgan State University will receive $133,200 and $334,000 will be placed in a general fund to help other nursing programs around the state.
"LifeBridge Health is committed to assist the community with its growing health care needs by supporting local nursing programs," said Warren Green, LifeBridge Health president and CEO. "Our pledge is one way that LifeBridge Health is working to maintain a steady stream of qualified nurses into the local workforce."
A group of stakeholders including the Maryland Hospital Association, health care leaders and academic leaders established Who Will Care? with the goal of doubling the number of Maryland students obtaining their first nursing degree. The campaign plans to raise $60 million from public and private sources to underwrite the cost of enrolling an additional 1,500 students per year in nursing programs.
LifeBridge Health's contribution to this effort supports the recruitment and retention of qualified nurse faculty, availability of clinical nursing instruction sites, implementation of educational technologies and the development of nursing student retention programs.
In 2007, Maryland hospitals reported an average vacancy rate of 10 percent. Yet, 1,850 qualified candidates for nursing were not admitted to Maryland's colleges and universities in 2006 because programs were full.
The Who Will Care? Fund for Nurse Education has convened a program to allocate the grants that will be awarded to Maryland nursing programs on a rolling basis beginning in May 2009.
LifeBridge Health is a regional health organization that includes Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital, Jewish Convalescent & Nursing Home, and related subsidiaries and affiliates.
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