McLeod donates $100,000 to boost FDTC nursing education program

FLORENCE — McLeod Health gave a $100,000 gift to Florence-Darlington Technical College Tuesday to help expand the college’s nursing program.

As a partner in nursing education for the region, McLeod Health has made continuing contributions to area nursing schools. This is the sixth consecutive year that McLeod has provided support directly to the nursing program at FDTC.

Officials with both McLeod and FDTC said the gift is important in offsetting the state and national shortage of nurses. According to the South Carolina statistics, hospitals across the state are reporting an average nurse vacancy rate of about 12.6 percent.

The success of area nursing programs, coupled with strong recruiting efforts, has helped McLeod and other health care providers in the region to improve their vacancy rates considerably, officials said.

“Our region needs nurses for hospitals, home health services, hospice care, physician offices, school nursing programs and a variety of other areas of health care,” said Leannne Huminski, chief nursing officer for McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Huminski and FDTC graduate and registered nurse at McLeod Andrew McNeil presented the gift to FDTC President Dr. Charles Gould, Sharon Davis, associate vice president of health and sciences, and FDTC Associate Dean of Nursing Sharon Stafford.

According to Humin-ksi, nurses serve an important role in the delivery of quality health care. “McLeod recognizes the value of the nurses’ contribution,” she said. “Physicians place patients in the hospital because their condition requires acute observation and assessments, which a nurse is trained to do. Without competent nurses, McLeod would be incapable of carrying out its mission of providing quality health care for patients in the region.”

Because nurses are so vital to health care and the region’s economy, the Pee Dee is very fortunate to have nursing education programs in Florence at Florence-Darlington Technical College and Francis Marion University. McLeod Health provides funds in support of both.

“These two programs are the cornerstones for McLeod’s recruiting,” said Tim Hess, associate vice president of McLeod Human Resources. “We are fortunate to have a continuous supply of exceptional nurses graduating locally from which to recruit.”

“These nursing programs are also vital to McLeod as the medical center continues to grow and expand to meet the needs of the region's patients as well as offer enhanced services which will require additional staffing and nurses,” Huminski said.

Florence-Darlington Tech offers an associate degree in nursing (ADN) that allows students to prepare for Registered Nurse (RN) boards in five semesters. Since its establishment in 1973, FDTC's ADN program has graduated 2,508 nurses with 80 percent staying to work in the Pee Dee area.

“In addition to the financial support so that we could increase our nursing enrollment capabilities over the years, there are many ways that McLeod has supported our nursing program,” said Stafford.

The relationship and financial support of nursing education is vital to McLeod and the Pee Dee, Huminski said. “The region and the state need these nurses,” she said. “They are the lifeblood in the provision of top quality, competent health care in our community.”