Thanks to this group, the nursing school is healthier
UnitedHealth Group’s generous gift will lead to the training of more highly skilled nurses in response to the nursing shortage.
UnitedHealth Group’s mission is to help people live healthier lives. To achieve this goal, they are focused on building a modern, adaptable, innovative and inclusive system of health care services.
As one of the most visible stewards of America’s vast health care system, UnitedHealth Group is entrusted with both important resources and responsibilities, including decision-making that has life-changing consequences for millions of Americans.
In that spirit, UnitedHealth Group awarded a $2-million grant to admit an additional 120 nursing students to Cal State Fullerton’s entry-level, pre-licensure nursing program. In 2008, only 46 of 1,300 qualified candidates could be accepted.
In gratitude, the university’s nurse training lab has been renamed the United- Healthcare Nursing Skills Lab. The $1.6 million lab features a hospital-like setting and is fitted with nearly $700,000 worth of equipment, including beds, wheelchairs, infant-care stations, patient mannequins, computer programs and audiovisual materials that allow students to practice nursing skills. It also has a lobby, an 11-bed hospital wing with emergency, surgical and pediatric rooms, a patient exam room, a 30-seat classroom, a six-seat study room and a conference room.
“The magnitude of the gift cannot be overstated in its value to the community,” said Roberta E. Rikli, dean of the College of Health and Human Development. “If each of the 120 new nurses sees only 10 patients a week, this results in an additional 1,200 patients being seen each week … or 60,000 per year!”
“This important project will help increase the number of highly skilled nurses in California,” said David Anderson, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Southern California. “Quality nursing care makes a tremendous difference in the health care received by patients. Our sponsorship of this project is part of our commitment to the nursing profession and our long-term partnership with CSUF’s School of Nursing.”
For information about giving to the College of Health and Human Development, please contact Rachel Beal at 657-278-5466.