LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Feb. 16, 2010) – As part of its continuing effort to increase the quality and availability of health care professionals in the region, Norton Healthcare has awarded a $600,000 grant to the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Bellarmine University. Norton and Bellarmine announced the gift, which is payable in $200,000 annual increments over three years, pending eligibility for renewal, on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The money is divided into two gifts, one of which will create the Norton Healthcare Chair of Graduate Studies in Nursing at Bellarmine and help with the implementation of the new doctor in nursing practice (DNP) program. Sherill Cronin will serve in the named position. The second half of the gift will establish a new Norton Healthcare Fund for Collaborative Learning including the registered nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Norton Healthcare, with classes taught by Bellarmine faculty on site at Norton facilities.
This gift builds upon the long and rich tradition of partnership between Norton Healthcare and Bellarmine University, which includes the creation of the Norton Health Sciences Center at Bellarmine, as well as multi-year, multi-million dollar commitments to fund health care education.
"We are excited about this exceptional opportunity to strengthen our partnership with Norton Healthcare," said Joseph J. McGowan, president of Bellarmine University. "It is appropriate that we announce this generous grant at an event honoring Dr. Allan Lansing and Donna Lansing, whose contributions to Bellarmine and Norton have increased the quality of health care education to the benefit of the entire region."
Norton and Bellarmine announced the gift during a reception to honor the Lansings for their gracious gift to Norton Healthcare to create the Lansing Scholars Program. Qualified students are eligible for $8,000 per year in a combination of scholarships and loans to pursue designated health careers, including nursing, medical laboratory science and respiratory therapy at Bellarmine. Lansing Scholars who commit to a health care career within the Norton network are eligible to have the loans forgiven.
“Norton Healthcare is pleased to continue supporting advanced nursing education in our community through our partnership with Bellarmine University,” said Stephen A. Williams, president and chief executive officer. “This grant is another investment by Norton Healthcare in our community’s health care workforce for the future. Bellarmine is a wonderful academic education partner with whom Norton has partnered for many years to increase the number of qualified health care professionals in our area, and we are privileged to continue these efforts in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Allan Lansing.”
"I am eternally grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Lansing for their support and generosity,” said Katie Nunn, a senior nursing student at Bellarmine, who spoke at the reception. “It has been an honor to be a Lansing Scholar these past few years and it is my privilege to represent the Lansing program as I enter my career with the Norton Healthcare team."
Since 2005, 23 Lansing Scholars have earned degrees from Bellarmine and successfully begun careers with Norton. Another 26 students are currently enrolled as Lansing Scholars.
Bellarmine also partners with Norton Healthcare through the Norton Healthcare Scholars Program, which helps cover a minimum of $6,000 per year in college expenses while qualified students work toward a degree in health care. Norton Scholars also are eligible for loan forgiveness during their careers with Norton Healthcare.
"One important focus for both Norton and Bellarmine is to recruit more minority and underrepresented groups into health professions," said Sue Davis, dean of the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Bellarmine. "We are all aware of the need for a health care workforce that represents the diversity of the patients we care for every day."
For more information on the Lansing Scholars program, visit http://www.nortonhealthcare.com/body.cfm?id=147.
For more information about the Donna and Allan Lansing School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Bellarmine University, visit: http://www.bellarmine.edu/lansing/index.asp.
About Norton Healthcare
For more than a century, Norton Healthcare’s faith heritage has guided its mission to provide quality health care to all those it serves. Today, Norton Healthcare is the Louisville area’s leading hospital and health care system (44 percent market share) and third largest private employer, providing care at more than 90 locations throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. The not-for-profit system includes five Louisville hospitals; 11 Norton Immediate Care Centers; 10,900 employees; some 380 employed medical providers; and more than 2,300 total physicians on its medical staff. Norton Healthcare serves patients in the Greater Louisville area, including Southern Indiana, and throughout Kentucky.
About Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University is an independent Catholic university offering more than 50 majors, as well as graduate degree programs, a doctor of nursing practice and a doctor of physical therapy. Forbes.com and the Princeton Review rank Bellarmine among America’s best institutions for higher education, and U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Bellarmine as a top tier university.
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