Spring Arbor University President Dr. Brent Ellis, Alro Steel President and CEO Randy Glick and Jackson College President and CEO Dr. Dan Phelan at this week’s event. JTV photo.
(February 16, 2024 11:22 AM ET) Alro Steel and the Alvin Glick Foundation announced a gift of $8 million for the Jackson Healthcare Workforce Initiative, a collaborative effort to support and strengthen the healthcare workforce in the Jackson Community. Henry Ford Jackson Hospital, Jackson College and Spring Arbor University will share the gift in efforts to solve the shortage of healthcare workers.
At an event this week at the American 1 Event Center, Alro Steel President and CEO Randy Glick introduced the Initiative and the leadership of each partner organization delivered remarks.
Henry Ford Jackson Hospital ($5 million)
Henry Ford Jackson Hospital will soon create a workforce development scholarship fund that stands to generate meaningful opportunities in healthcare for area students, thanks to a record-setting $5 million endowment from Alro Steel and the family of its founder Al Glick. In collaboration with Spring Arbor University, Jackson College and several other local and regional partners, scholarships will provide educational opportunities for community members who want to build careers in healthcare. An announcement will go out when scholarship applications are available.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to Alro Steel and the Glick family for this exceptional and impactful gift,” said Emily Moorhead, President of Henry Ford Jackson Hospital. “With healthcare workers in short supply here and around the country, Henry Ford Jackson Hospital, our patients and their families will greatly benefit from cultivating a talent pipeline powered by the people of our own community. This endowment will allow us to champion the aspirations and potential of local young people and adults and open doors to rewarding healthcare careers right here in Jackson.”
The endowment will ensure that approximately $250,000 in scholarships will be awarded annually. Over the first five years that could translate to 180 individual scholarships for:
- Students seeking certification as a registered nurse, a medical assistant or a surgical technician. Upon completion of certification, recipients will fulfil a two-year requirement of employment at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital.
- Tuition for a weeklong day camp experience for middle school students to explore careers in healthcare. The camp is in partnership with the Jackson Area Career Center and the Jackson County Intermediate School District.
At the event, Randy Glick said his father, Al and the family were grateful for the care he received at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital during the final weeks of his life in 2022. It was during that time Mr. Glick became aware of the great need for a healthcare workforce pipeline in Jackson. As a result, he directed his family and foundations to bring together community collaborators to develop a plan to address the need for more healthcare workers.
“We were already well into planning and implementing a workforce initiative with community partners when we were given an opportunity to share our vision for healthcare careers in Jackson with the Glick family. We were thrilled when they asked us to submit a proposal to show the forecasted impact of our collaboration,” said Cindy Harrison, Vice President of Human Resources at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital. “Alro Steel’s generous endowment, along with our community partnerships, will empower us to transform the future of healthcare and economic development in Jackson, focused on creating a more diverse healthcare workforce that mirrors our local population.” A world-class medical simulation center to educate tomorrow’s healthcare professions in real-life scenarios will become a reality thanks to the caring, foresight and generosity of longtime Jackson businessman, the late Alvin Glick.
Jackson College ($1.5 million)
Alro Steel and the Alvin Glick Foundation made a $1.5 million donation to Jackson College as part of the Jackson Healthcare Workforce Initiative.
“We are delighted and deeply gratified by the impact that this is going to have sustainably at our institution,” said Dr. Daniel J. Phelan, president of Jackson College. “Know that this gift has impact, it has power, it has a future.”
With this gift, Jackson College will be able to better educate students in these important fields, which are in high demand. Co-Interim Chief Academic Officer/Dean of Health Sciences, Careers & Technical Trades Heather Ruttkofsky shared the vision. Imagine a center that fully simulates what nurses and healthcare professionals will find in a hospital — a team environment working with a patient, integrating current and emerging technologies with augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate and bring situations to life. It will be a holistic healthcare setting from birth to death, giving students the opportunity to gain experience through holograms, high-tech simulators and more.
“We want to create a space where learning no longer appears to be a classroom but instead, what they really walk into,” Ruttkofsky said. “I cannot thank you all enough.”
Jackson College currently has nearly 400 students enrolled in healthcare related fields, and many more working on related prerequisites toward future study.
The College offers a variety of healthcare career programs for students, including:
-
- Allied Health
- Cardiac Sonography
- Dental Hygiene
- Emergency Medical Services
- EKG Technician
- General Sonography
- Health Sciences Foundations
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Insurance Coder/Biller
- Medical Office Support
- Nursing/Registered Nurse
- Nursing/Licensed Practical Nurse
- Patient Care Technician
- Radiography
- Respiratory Therapy
- Surgical Technology
- Vascular Sonography
Spring Arbor University ($1.5 million)
Spring Arbor University will receive $1.5 million through the Initiative to build programs that provide local residents with the opportunity to pursue or advance their career in nursing while staying in Jackson County.
“We are grateful for this opportunity from the Glick family and Alvin Glick Foundation to significantly impact the nursing workforce in Jackson County,” said Dr. Alvin Kauffman, Dean of SAU’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences. “An increase in the number of nurses employed in Jackson will dramatically influence the overall health of all the residents of the communities in which we live and serve.”
With the $1.5M earmarked specifically for Spring Arbor University, SAU plans to introduce an Accelerated Second Degree Bachelor of Science Nursing (ABSN) program. This new program would allow students who already have a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to obtain their BSN in 12 to 14 months as opposed to the 2.5 years that traditional BSN programs typically take to complete.
“Our hope is that this new ABSN program might act as a catalyst for growth of nurses within the Jackson community,” said Spring Arbor University’s president, Dr. Brent Ellis. “This program will help us graduate more Christ-minded nurses serving as the hands and feet of Jesus in our local communities. We’re grateful to Alro Steel and the Alvin Glick Foundation for this incredible opportunity they’re bringing to Jackson County.”
The current closest ABSN program is over an hour away from Jackson at Madonna University in Livonia, MI, creating a struggle for aspiring nurses or current RNs in Jackson who aren’t able to move or commute. With the start of this new ABSN program, SAU could provide local education and training, graduating high-quality nurses quickly and efficiently to begin working within the Jackson County healthcare system.
Jackson Christian Schedules Kindergarten Roundup
Update on 100 Homes with Shane LaPorte
New Features Added to JSA Fairy Festival April 18
46°F
