Kaiser Permanente Awards $140,000 to Azusa Pacific Nursing School; Accelerated Degree Programs Offer Hope for Nursing Shortages

Business Wire, Nov 4, 2005

PASADENA, Calif. -- Kaiser Permanente announced today that it has awarded $140,000 to Azusa Pacific University (APU) to help students defray the cost of nursing school and ease nursing shortages at Kaiser Permanente hospitals.

The funding is earmarked for Azusa Pacific University's accelerated Master's in Nursing students, Second Careers and Nursing (SCAN) students.

In addition, students selected for the forgivable loan program will get a chance to perform clinical rotations and receive mentoring from Kaiser Permanente nursing staff during the duration of their college careers. Upon graduation, students may work at any of the 11 Southern California Kaiser Permanente hospitals for forgiveness of the loan, which can pay for up to two-thirds of their tuition.

"The second degree candidates have demonstrated that they are committed to the nursing profession," said Judy Husted, RN, MS, Kaiser Foundation Hospital's Executive Director of Patient Care Services, Operations, Southern California. "We are proud of the unique partnership we have established with Azusa Pacific University.

"It is one of the many innovative initiatives we have implemented to address the California nursing shortage, which is in a huge crisis," she added.

According to the California Healthcare Association, California ranks 49th in the nation in terms of the number of RNs per capita -- with 585 RNs per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 798 RNs per 100,000 population. Only Nevada has fewer RNs per capita than California.

Kaiser Permanente seeks to be the organization of choice for nurses. To create the optimum environment for both its nurses and its members, the organization is improving nursing retention and recruitment. Kaiser Permanente has upgraded its preceptor program, created re-entry programs for returning nurses, and awarded numerous grants to nursing schools to expand their curriculum.

Featured in TIME Magazine and ranked as one of the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, Azusa Pacific University offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and four other undergraduate nursing options. In addition, APU offers a Master of Science in Nursing, an Accelerated RN to BSN, BSN to MSN, post-master certificates, Second Career and Nursing (SCAN) leading to a MSN, and a Ph.D. in Nursing. For more information, call (800) 825-5278 or visit www.apu.edu.

Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.1 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region includes more than 47,530 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 5,200 physicians representing all specialties.

www.kaiserpermanente.org

Editor Note: JPEG Photo available. Contact Andy Gallardo: 626-405-6426