Spectrum Health to invest $19M to launch nurse education partnership with GVSU

GRAND RAPIDS, MI — A newly launched health system by Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health will invest $19 million to launch a nursing education partnership with Grand Valley State University.

The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program is being created to address a “severe talent shortage in nursing,” according to a news release. It aims to address the talent shortage by removing financial barriers to college and creating a smoother path to employment at Spectrum Health.

“We challenged ourselves to be bold: What can we do, together with GVSU, to permanently increase access to education, strengthen nursing education programs and invest in talented, compassionate people who want to become nurses?” Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of the BHSH System, said in a news release. “Our teams delivered a joint, innovative proposal that expands opportunities for up to 500 future nurses and can be the model for others to emulate.”

The health system plans to invest $19 million to provide “infrastructure, start-up costs and resources for increased clinical placements, training and other support for students in the program.”

Pending approvals and accreditation, the program is expected to be in place by January 2023.

“We have many dedicated and talented students who want to pursue nursing, but we needed the creativity and support of our partners at BHSH System to make the expansion of nursing possible and affordable for more talented and diverse students,” GVSU President Philomena Mantella said in a news release. “This program is a huge leap forward and a model for other high need fields.”

Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health launched their new, combined health system on Feb. 1. The new health system has more than 64,000 employees, including more than 11,500 physicians and more than 15,000 nurses, as well as 22 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations.

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