Hospital to partner with Ivy Tech

Putnam County Hospital (PCH) is ensuring they have an adequate supply of highly trained professionals in the future with a pledged $75,000 donation to Ivy Tech Community College's Healthcare Development Program at the Greencastle campus.

The hospital's donation will be used to provide scholarship opportunities at the facility and will be administered through the Putnam County Foundation.

Specific types of training will include Practical and Registered Nursing, Radiology Technology and Respiratory Therapy.

"For many years PCH has worked with Ivy Tech preparing local students for careers in the healthcare field by serving as a clinical training site. The hospital's donation will be used to provide scholarship opportunities at the Greencastle campus," explained PCH Executive Director Dennis Weatherford.

The hospital's Board of Trustees believes that contributions like this one are a "wise investment for the future of our community."

Weatherford said that investing in educating local students is about more than just money.

"It's one way our local hospital is helping to ensure an adequate supply of highly trained healthcare professionals," he said. "Once they have experience in a hospital our size (through clinical training) they see the advantage in considering employment opportunities with us," added Weatherford.

From Ivy Tech's viewpoint the donation will change lives in this community for a long time.

"It's just a wonderful commitment and wonderful show of support for the community and for the healthcare students of the future. It will impact and change a lot of lives in our community for a long time," said Rebecca Miller, Executive Director of Resource Development for Ivy Tech.

According to the Joint Commission there are many factors that will affect hospitals in the future including a growing elderly population; explosive growth in the numbers of individuals with chronic conditions; an insatiable demand for emergency care services and intensive care; progressive expansion of applications for minimally invasive surgery and other procedures; the continuing rise in health care costs and heightened concerns about inefficiency, access to care and medical error across the delivery systems.

"There are shortages in healthcare everywhere and they are only predicted to get worse," said Weatherford.

According to Weatherford, PCH and Ivy Tech have historically been partners in providing clinical training to students. This donation helps to ensure that partnership will continue long into the future.

"Details about the logistics of the donation are still being worked out and more information will be available soon," said Weatherford.