One million dollars from Ballad Health is going toward a simulation lab to be used by health sciences students.
Milligan University has announced a large donation from Ballad Health, its longstanding partnership solidified once again. The donation will be used to create a high fidelity simulation lab that will be utilized for health sciences students with equipment such as manikins, patient simulators, and IT equipment.
In an article on Milligan University’s website, Dr. Bill Greer, who serves as the president of Milligan University, discussed the relationship between the school and Ballad Health, saying, “We are grateful to Ballad Health for their continued support. Milligan has long been a leading provider of healthcare professionals for Ballad Health and our region, with many of our graduates serving in key leadership roles within the health system.”
Ballad Health is committing to providing $250,000 a year for four years to fund the new simulation lab. The lab is intended for Milligan University health students as well as employees at Ballad Health; the facility will serve as a training lab for those employed by the health system, too.
The Milligan University programs that are expected to be able to make use of the new simulation lab are the nursing, occupational therapy, and physician assistant programs.
In the Appalachian Highlands region where Milligan University is located, there is a shortage of nurses and other healthcare workers. The university is hopeful that the addition of this simulation lab will bolster its ability to produce more healthcare graduates to staff the region’s needs, a sentiment echoed by leadership at Ballad Health.
Eric Deaton, who is the COO of Ballad Health, stated, “The work of Ballad Health isn’t limited to the direct care provided in our hospitals and doctors’ offices – we’re also doing everything we can to create a brighter future and stronger trajectory for our region, and that means working with partners – such as Milligan University and other academic institutions – to strengthen and grow our local workforce. The students and professionals impacted by this new simulation lab will go into their healthcare careers better prepared and better able to meet the needs of patients, which is a boon to us all.”
Dr. Lisa Smithgall, the chief nursing executive at Ballad Health, shared this opinion, saying, “Growing a pipeline of skilled, qualified clinicians in our region is the most important thing we can do to combat this significant shortage of healthcare professionals.”
The healthcare programs at Milligan University have long been successful, with the nursing program and physician assistant program both achieving high pass rates on licensure exams and producing successful graduates who go on to work in the field.
“Not only do we prepare students to successfully pass their licensure examinations, but they enter the nursing profession fully prepared to provide quality nursing care,” said Milligan’s Ballad Health chair of nursing, Dr. Melinda Collins.
The new simulation lab is expected to help students become even better prepared in clinical settings by allowing students to practice high-stakes scenarios of patient intervention in a low-stakes environment that still mimics reality. The manikins that will be in the lab will be able to be monitored for cardiac functions and blood pressure.
The university hopes that it will serve as an additional enticing factor to draw students to health sciences programs at Milligan University, as well.
“We stand ready to expand and to continue to produce healthcare workers who are prepared to lead and serve as compassionate caregivers in our region and beyond. The simulation experiences in this lab will augment existing laboratory and direct clinical practice experiences within healthcare settings,” said Greer.
For more information about Milligan University, visit the school’s website.