Pikeville, KY – It was announced at the SOAR Summit on Friday, September 6 that Pikeville Medical Center (PMC) has partnered with the Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) to expand the college’s existing RN program. There is a state-wide nursing shortage, and these two organizations are joining together to help solve the problem.

Thanks to a $40,000 grant from Jeff Whitehead of EKCEP, a program Pathway Coordinator is being hired to work with the hospital and the school to move the program forward.

“Thanks to the support of leaders like Congressman Hal Rogers, Governor Matt Bevin and Jeff Whitehead with EKCEP, we are positioned to further educate our students and provide jobs in the region,” said Vice President of the Board of Directors and CEO Donovan Blackburn. “This collaborative effort between BSCTC and PMC will allow us to expand our existing RN initiatives and execute a program to educate local students and prepare them for much needed nursing positions.”

PMC will lease the Summit Building for BSCTC for $1 per year to house the program. The doors to this new educational building will open for the spring 2020 semester.

The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (EWDC) has also developed the Kentucky Advanced Technical College High (K-TECH), the state’s college-high school apprenticeship program, in partnership with BSCTC, PMC, Pike County School System and Pikeville Independent School System. 

This three-year, $627,000 Pathways to STEM Apprenticeship grant will launch an apprenticeship program involving area schools and will focus on healthcare and information technologies, two of the state’s fastest growing job sectors. The grant is aimed at supporting Kentucky’s efforts to prepare the future workforce by increasing the number of students participating in STEM courses in high school and post-secondary schools in the Commonwealth.

“Our organization is fortunate to have a progressive and supportive board of directors who are working diligently to lay the groundwork for the immediate and future needs of health care in our community,” Blackburn added. “This new directive is a positive and innovative project that will  drive education, provide professional career paths, and secure quality health care today and far into the future.”

About Pikeville Medical Center

Pikeville Medical Center is 340-bed regional referral center and Kentucky’s only level II trauma center. PMC offers over 400 services, including every major specialty and many subspecialties, and features the region’s most advanced medical technology.

PMC employs more than 3,000 people and has nearly 400 credentialed health care providers.                                                 

PMC’s mission is to provide world-class quality health care in a Christian environment. For more information, please visit www.pikevillehospital.org.

Pikeville Medical Center is a Presenting Partner of SOAR.