Spring Arbor University to introduce new program thanks to funding from Jackson Healthcare Workforce Initiative

Spring Arbor University will soon be introducing a new Accelerated Second Degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing program to improve the quality of available healthcare education in the area, thanks to $1.5 million in earmarked funding from Alro Steel and the Alvin Glick Foundation.

According to an article on Spring Arbor University’s website, Dr. Brent Ellis, the president of Spring Arbor University, is quoted as expressing his hopes for what this new program could mean for the community, saying, “Our hope is that this new ABSN program might act as a catalyst for growth of nurses within the Jackson community. This program will help us graduate more Christ-minded nurses serving as the hands and feet of Jesus in our local communities. We’re grateful to Alro Steel and the Alvin Glick Foundation for this incredible opportunity they’re bringing to Jackson County.”

Currently, there are no local institutions that offer an ABSN program within one hour from Spring Arbor University. The gap in local offerings is producing a gap in nurses who are able to achieve their ABSN degree despite already working as nurses. The new program will help nurses who are unable to commute to the next-closest institution, Madonna University in Livonia, to still achieve their ABSN.

Dr. Alvin Kauffman, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Spring Arbor University, said, “We are grateful for this opportunity from the Glick family and Alvin Glick Foundation to significantly impact the nursing workforce in Jackson County. An increase in the number of nurses employed in Jackson will dramatically influence the overall health of all the residents of the communities in which we live and serve.”

For more information about Spring Arbor University, visit the school’s website.