Leading healthcare provider further invests in nursing, leverages partnership to connect evidence-based practice to the delivery of nursing education
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare
providers, today announced that it has acquired the majority ownership
of the parent company of Galen College of Nursing, one of the largest
educators of nurses in the United States.
HCA Healthcare has approximately 94,000 registered nurses holding
positions from bedside caregivers to leadership roles in a variety of
healthcare settings and at every level throughout the organization. The
partnership with Galen combines two leading nursing organizations to
increase access to education and provide nursing career development
opportunities that will positively impact patient care.
Backed by HCA Healthcare’s extensive history and on-the-ground
experience in nursing practice, the partnership will strive to develop
innovative and evidence-based curriculum to prepare nurses for today’s
workforce and best meet the needs of patients.
“Every day, our nurses are on the front lines of caring for our
patients, which embodies our mission at HCA Healthcare,” said HCA
Healthcare’s chief executive officer, Sam Hazen. “Galen’s commitment to
expand access to quality nursing education perfectly aligns with our
focus on giving our nurses – at the bedside and in leadership – great
programs and career advancement opportunities that will enable them to
deliver better care.”
Galen will remain Galen College of Nursing, led by chief executive
officer, Mark Vogt, and will continue its focus on growth strategies for
locations and programs. HCA Healthcare and Galen will work together to
provide access to nursing programs across five campus locations and
online programs for colleagues as well as the larger community, which
will help in addressing the nation’s nursing workforce needs.
“This Academic Practice Partnership will allow two of the top nursing
organizations in the country to connect the latest in evidence-based
practice to the delivery of nursing education on a significant scale,”
said Galen’s chief executive officer, Mark Vogt. “The union is an
incredible opportunity to make a profound impact on nursing education
and the quality of nursing care in our nation.”
“HCA Healthcare is committed to being the premier career destination for
nurses,” said HCA Healthcare’s senior vice president and chief nurse
executive, Jane Englebright. “Galen’s graduates will help us nurture a
pipeline of next-generation nurses and nurse leaders to deliver
effective, evidence-based, innovative care to our patients.”
The purchase of Galen is the latest example of HCA Healthcare’s
continued focus on supporting its nurses across the country. HCA
Healthcare has made it a priority to invest in technologies, capital
improvements and infrastructure that support nurses professionally and
personally. These initiatives include:
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Expanded benefits: $300 million investment in additional
benefits available to nurses, including tuition reimbursement for most
full- and part-time colleagues, student loan debt assistance, expanded
certification offerings and a scholarship program for children of HCA
Healthcare colleagues.
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Centers for Clinical Advancement: seven state-of-the-art
training locations across the country that enable nurses and nursing
students to hone their craft using high-fidelity, lifelike simulation
equipment to replicate real-life situations.
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HCA Inspire: a unique mobile app that unlocks possibilities
across HCA Healthcare by empowering nurses to chart their professional
growth and career paths in clinical or leadership disciplines and
connect with mentors who can inspire and challenge them.
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HCA Healthcare Nurse Care: a nursing-focused support program
designed to offer real-time assistance with common workplace issues
such as work-life balance, time management, effectively managing
stress and self-care.
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Advanced nursing technologies: from a system that reduces
documentation burden to mobile-enabled nurse leader tools enabling
personal connection with nurses throughout care facilities, HCA
Healthcare continuously listens to nurses and develops custom tools to
help drive high colleague engagement and improvement in clinical
outcomes.
HCA Healthcare’s investment in nursing education is not new as the
organization currently has two nursing schools, Research College of
Nursing and Mercy School of Nursing.
Please click
here to learn more about nursing at HCA Healthcare.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers
of healthcare services, comprising 184 hospitals and approximately 2,000
sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care
centers, and physician clinics, in 21 states and the United Kingdom.
With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for
hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to
strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the
practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical
studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is
healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that
identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in
ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system
that uses its more than 31 million annual patient encounters to advance
science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click
here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.
About Galen College of Nursing
Founded 30 years ago, Galen College of Nursing is one of the largest
nursing educators in the United States. With a focus solely on nursing
education, the College offers baccalaureate and associate degree nursing
programs and practical/vocational nursing programs to students on its
campuses in Louisville and Hazard, Ky., San Antonio, Texas, Tampa Bay,
Fla., Cincinnati, Ohio, along with an Online Campus. Galen is accredited
by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate and masters degrees. The
baccalaureate degree in nursing program at Galen College of Nursing is
accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655
K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001; 202-887-6791. The
associate degree in nursing program offered at Galen College of Nursing
is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing,
3343 Peachtree Road, Suite 850, Atlanta, Georgia 30326, 404-975-5000, www.acenursing.org.
For more information about Galen College of Nursing, visit
galencollege.edu.
All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA Healthcare” as used
throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its
affiliates.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Mark Kimbrough
615-344-2688
MEDIA CONTACT:
Harlow Sumerford
615-344-1851