Health system, Oakland University to partner on $20M nurse training initiative

About 500 additional nurses will be trained to work in southeast Michigan through a unique partnership announced Thursday by the Beaumont-Spectrum hospital system and Oakland University. 

The initiative will be funded by a gift of more than $20 million over the next five years from the BHSH system, which includes southeast Michigan's Beaumont Health system and the Spectrum Health system on the west side of the state. The initiative was announced by BHSH and Oakland University officials at a press conference Thursday.

"We critically need more nurses in our country and in our community," said Tina Freese Decker, president & CEO of BHSH system. "The nursing shortage here in our state is critical, is a complex challenge and it must be solved with bold and collaborative solutions.

"We know this program will positively impact health care in our community, and we look forward to seeing the first student enter the program, and also then join BHSH system."

Half of the funding, about $10 million, will be used to fund scholarships for nursing students at Oakland University. The students will be required to spend at least two years working for the eight-hospital Beaumont Health system after graduation. 

Details of the BHSH Beaumont Health Nurse Scholar program, such as the amount of the scholarships or how to apply, are still being worked out, officials said.

The remaining $10 million will be used for additional infrastructure and resources to accommodate the increase in nursing students, such as expanded laboratory and classroom space, instructional equipment and faculty. 

"Since the COVID pandemic there's been a critical shortage of nurses, not just in our southeast Michigan communities, but also in the entire state of Michigan," said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, president of BHSH Beaumont Health.

"Beaumont's enjoyed a really strong relationship with Oakland University for over 40 years. This partnership creates a stronger pipeline for us to train the next generation of nurses," Schwartz said.

"We're going to use these funds to directly address the need for highly skilled nurses in the region, and it's a further demonstration of our commitment to this partnership of the university and to the care that our patients need."

A shortage of nurses across the country has been exacerbated by the pandemic, which led many nurses to retire early or leave the profession due to burnout or the high health risks associated with tending COVID-19 patients. 

The nursing shortage has been a source of stress in many hospitals in Michigan and across the country. At Michigan Medicine, the University of Michigan health system, nurses filed a lawsuit on Tuesday alleging that short staffing has resulted in high case loads that place patients and nurses at risk of injury.

At the press conference, Oakland University president Ora Hirsch Pescovitz said the partnership can serve as a model for how health systems and universities across the country can work together to solve health care problems in their communities.

"We think that the way that we came together ... is just one way that a partnership can truly become transformative," Pescovitz said.

"Given the realities of rising health care costs, aging demographics and serious workforce shortages, we must form partnerships and look for innovative approaches to make sure that each of us is doing all that we can to the best interests of our citizens." 

kbouffard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @kbouffardDN