News Releases
CONTACT:
Laurel Hensel
Director of Foundation Communications
847-813-3456 or Laurel.Hensel@reshealthcare.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chicago Community Trust Funds Minority Nursing Retention Program at West Suburban College of Nursing
Oak Park, IL (July 24, 2008) – The West Suburban College of Nursing in Oak Park received a generous $144,500 grant from the Chicago Community Trust to fund a new program designed to retain and graduate more minority nursing students.
This grant will establish a Center for Academic Excellence and will also fund a full-time Academic Excellence program coordinator to work with nursing students in need of additional academic support. The coordinator will work with at-risk students to identify potential barriers to success, develop a mentoring program and implement strategies to increase the retention of minority students. In addition, the new Center will centralize the location of all of the tutors in the library to make it easier for students to access academic assistance.
“The West Suburban College of Nursing is deeply grateful to the Chicago Community Trust for their foresight, generosity and support,” said Dr. Rebecca Jones, Chancellor. “I am confident that with this added resource and through perseverance, our students will succeed, graduate, achieve licensure and better serve the health care needs of the greater Chicagoland community,” she added.
The goals of the Center for Academic Excellence include increasing student participation rates in tutoring by 25 percent, reducing attrition of minority nursing students by 10 percent, and increasing the pass rate on national nurse licensing exams to 75 percent.
A key element in addressing both the shortage of nurses nationwide and the changing demographics of America is minority student nurse retention. The availability of licensed and certified health care professionals is diminishing across the country. Currently, Illinois must train 50 percent more health care workers annually through 2010 to prevent a critical healthcare worker shortage in the state.
In 2007, only 41 percent of African-American students and 66 percent of Asian-American students enrolled in West Suburban College of Nursing graduated. Minority student nurse retention will also help create a nursing workforce that reflects the increasing numbers of minorities in the U.S. population it serves.
Most students drop-out because they lack basic skills in math, science, reading and writing required for the program. Language proficiency can be a barrier as well. Several studies have shown that providing additional academic support in these areas can help retain these students and allow them to achieve their career goals.
For 93 years, The Chicago Community Trust has connected the generosity of donors with the needs of the community by making grants to organizations working to improve metropolitan Chicago. With assets of $1.8 billion, the Trust made a record-breaking $114 million in grants in 2007. From strengthening community schools to assisting local art programs, from building health centers to helping lives affected by violence, the Trust works to enhance our region. Learn more at www.cct.org.
West Suburban College of Nursing was founded in 1914. It is owned and operated by West Suburban Medical Center, a member of Resurrection Health Care. This family of health care services provides advanced medical care and exceptional customer service in hospitals, nursing homes, retirement communities, home health services and behavioral health programs located in many Chicagoland neighborhoods. For more information, visit http://www.wscn.edu.
Resurrection Health Care is a not-for-profit Catholic organization sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the Sisters of the Resurrection.
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