September 2024 | EisenhowerHealth.org

Coalition of employers and educators has formed to address a shortage in health care professionals by expanding training options for local students

Eisenhower Health and OneFuture Coachella Valley’s Healthcare Workforce Leadership Roundtable are supporting the expansion of nurse training in the Coachella Valley to support an additional 70 students in the College of the Desert Nursing Program — doubling the size of the 2024-25 class.

Eisenhower Health is part of OneFuture Coachella Valley’s Healthcare Workforce Roundtable, a group of healthcare industry leaders that formed to create a local response to the nationwide shortage of nursing and healthcare professionals with a total $2.9 million commitment by RoundTable members to College of the Desert’s nursing program.

“At Eisenhower Health, we are deeply committed to the development of a skilled health care workforce in our community. Our partnership with OneFuture Coachella Valley’s Healthcare Workforce Leadership program is a testament to our dedication to nurturing the next generation of nurses. Together, we are empowering these future health care leaders with the training, support, and resources they need to excel in their careers and provide the highest level of care to our community,” said Ken Wheat, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Eisenhower Health.

“Removing barriers for local students is critical to building a compassionate and responsive local workforce,” said Sheila Thornton, CEO of OneFuture Coachella Valley. “Often it is not just the tuition that is the barrier, but other factors such as housing or transportation. Removing those barriers can help a student graduate on time and start their careers as nurses caring for patients in our hospitals and healthcare centers.”

Having the support of an industry-led coalition like the Roundtable was vital to jumpstart the expansion of seats in College of the Desert’s nursing program.

“We are honored and grateful to be chosen as a trusted partner in the endeavor to head off Coachella Valley’s looming healthcare workforce shortage,” said Interim Superintendent/President Laura Hope. “In addition to adding more qualified employees to the healthcare workforce, we get to change the trajectory of more students’’ lives. Additionally, when our students benefit, many of whom will become first-generation college graduates, the entire community benefits.”

About OneFuture Coachella Valley
OneFuture drives a transformative regional effort that opens the door for students in need. We lead the Coachella Valley Regional Plan for College and Career Success which brings together community partners to equip students with the skills development, mentorship, and career experience they need to contribute their gifts and thrive. OneFuture benefits students, employers, and the region through the power of a coordinated community-wide investment. We bring education, employers, nonprofits, and civic organizations together to implement a full cycle of resources along each student’s journey, ensuring their college, career, and economic success. Find out more at: www.OneFutureCV.org/

About the Healthcare Workforce Leadership Roundtable
OneFuture’s Healthcare Leadership Roundtable includes executive leadership from the region’s leading healthcare institutions who have banded together to create a powerful employer-led solution to talent development. The goal is to solve healthcare workforce shortages and achieve education and economic advancement for Coachella Valley youth. Roundtable members include Desert Care Network, Desert Healthcare District & Foundation, Eisenhower Health, and the Inland Empire Health Plan.

About Eisenhower Health
Eisenhower Health is a not-for-profit, comprehensive health care institution that includes the 437-bed Eisenhower Hospital, the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center at Eisenhower and the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower. Eisenhower is renowned for its Centers of Excellence in Orthopedics, Cardiovascular, Neuroscience and Oncology. Situated on 106 acres in Rancho Mirage, and with outpatient clinics across the valley, Eisenhower Health has provided a full range of quality medical and educational services for more than 50 years for residents and visitors to the greater Coachella Valley. Eisenhower has twice earned ANCC Magnet Recognition^® for professionalism in nursing and excellence in patient care. The first accredited teaching hospital in the valley, Eisenhower trains physician residents in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine and offers several fellowships. For more information, visit EisenhowerHealth.org or follow Eisenhower Health on social media.