Kingstree hospital, college get $250,000 Duke Endowment grant

Williamsburg Regional Hospital former administrator John Hales, second from right, displays a symbolic check for the Duke Endowment grant of $250,000 with, from left, Williamsburg Technical College nursing instructor Deniel Dickson, nursing department assistant Dana Williamson, nursing department head Sheila Forester and interim president Dr. Cheryl Cox.

By From local reports
Published: November 17, 2009

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KINGSTREE — Williamsburg Regional Hospital and Williamsburg Technical College have received a $250,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to maintain nursing training through Williamsburg Tech’s practical nursing program, according to a press release from the college.

Williamsburg Tech, the county’s only postsecondary institution, began a practical nursing education program in 2005 with the help of Williamsburg Regional Hospital and two Duke Endowment grants: one for $16,500 to evaluate the need for the program and one for $188,140 to implement it. Before the practical nursing program start-up at Williamsburg Tech, Williamsburg County residents who wanted to pursue a career in nursing had to make a round trip of three hours or more to enroll in nursing programs at other colleges, many of which have admissions waiting lists of up to five years.

Williamsburg Regional Hospital partnered with the college to introduce nursing curricula to address the regional health-care shortage, offer local residents expanded employment opportunities in the health care sector and, ultimately, improve quality and access to health care for local residents.

In each of the four years of the nursing program’s operation, 100 percent of the graduates have passed the National Council Licensure Examination and have found employment in the community.

“Federal and other government funding assistance has been requested, but in light of all shortfalls and the tenuous nature of requesting funding, without this assistance from the Duke Endowment, the continuation and expansion of the WTC practical nursing program would have been in serious danger,”Williamsburg Tech Interim President Dr. Cheryl Cox said.

The Williamsburg Tech practical nursing program enrolls approximately 16 to 18 students taught by two faculty members per academic year, but the impact of the program is much broader in scope. Williamsburg County, with a population of more than 36,000 people, is a federally-designated Medically Underserved Area with a Medically Underserved Population and a Health Professional Shortage Area.

The Duke Endowment, located in Charlotte, N.C., seeks to fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by improving lives and communities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churches and children’s services. Since its inception, it has awarded more than $2.6 billion in grants.

For more information on Williamsburg Technical College’s practical nursing program, go to www.wiltech.edu.