FORT VALLEY, Ga. — A partnership to bring the first nursing program to Fort Valley State University has been made official.
"This is a great day for Fort Valley State University, great day for Phoebe Putney Health System, and a great day for the state of Georgia," University President Paul Jones said.
Jones says it's been a long time coming. With about 30 undergraduate majors and graduate programs, the campus had to turn away students who wanted to study nursing, but not anymore.
"Students all along had been asking for healthcare programs, nursing in particular, over the years, and I think our ability today to offer that, those students no longer have to transfer," he said.
With the push of staff and almost a quarter-million-dollar investment from partner Phoebe Putney Health System. The program comes right in the middle of a nursing shortage.
Scott Steiner, the system's CEO, says they intend to reduce that.
"This is another piece of trying to drive that shortage down. These are nurses that we all need, that our loved ones need in healthcare today," he said.
The four-year program will offer students a chance to work in clinical rotations at Phoebe facilities.
They may also become Phoebe scholars, get help toward getting licenses, and a boost to jobs in the field.
"It allows us to partner with Phoebe and other health systems to make sure our students get the incredible clinical experiences that they need to go on and do great work in this field," Jones said.
Phoebe runs healthcare centers throughout southwest Georgia, including hospitals in Albany and Americus.