The Hospital Authority of Liberty County, the governing body for Liberty Regional Medical Center, voted to support the expansion of nursing education with a five-year, $125,000 pledge to support Savannah Technical College.
 
“We are proud that the Liberty Regional Medical Center has made such a strong commitment to expanding nursing education,” says College President Dr. Kathy Love. “With this support, we will be able to strengthen and expand nursing instruction at our Liberty Campus.” The expansion will include an additional cohort of Licensed Practical Nurses at the Liberty Campus.
 
“This is an exciting day for nursing education in Liberty County,” says Hospital Authority of Liberty County Chairman James Rogers. “We are proud to partner with Savannah Tech to grow its nursing program right here in Liberty County. We know that demand for nurses will continue to grow and we are excited that with this program, Liberty County students will have access to greater options for nursing education.  Making an investment ensures that Liberty Regional will continue to be able to deliver the best care possible for our community.”
 
The College is working to add an Associate Degree in Nursing to its mix of health science programs for the region. The proposed ADN program will be based in Savannah and focused on critical care nursing. The nursing education expansion also will include a bridge program at Liberty Campus for practical nurses, who wish to further their education at the Associate Degree level.
 
STC’s Liberty campus currently serves approximately 900 students each semester and offers a mix of instructional programs to meet the needs of employers and the community.  In Health Sciences programs, the campus offers Practical Nursing and Phlebotomy training.  STC’s nursing program has had an average 97.15% National Council Licensure Examination passing rate for the last two years. This competitive admission nursing program prepares graduates to pass the NCLEX-PN to test to be an LPN and work in doctor’s offices, hospitals, health departments or nursing homes.
 
The Savannah Technical College Foundation is in the midst of a $10 Million capital campaign, with $2.5 Million devoted to Health Sciences expansion. In addition to starting the ADN program, the campaign seeks to equip biology and chemistry labs at the Effingham and Liberty Campuses and expand associate degree program offerings at the Savannah Campus. Currently, the Liberty Campus has a single, multi-purpose Health Science laboratory. Making additional programs available for study will increase opportunities for students to complete study enter the workforce, strengthening the local healthcare sector. The addition of a biology/chemistry lab supports a critical component of the state’s core curriculum and provides degree level students with greater completion options.