Ivy Tech Community College Sellersburg and Baptist Health announced a $2.5M commitment that will significantly support campus renovations of Pfau Hall and establish the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences and the Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite.
“We are thrilled that our relationship with Baptist Health continues to grow to the benefit of our students and community. This partnership positions us to make critical investments in multi-discipline instructional labs supporting the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences by creating next-level learning environments at industry standards. This collaborative-approach dramatically enhances both Ivy Tech and Baptist Health’s ability to provide quality service to our community,” stated Dr. Travis Haire, Chancellor at Ivy Tech Sellersburg.
The renovation work to create the Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite will focus on facility updates in the Southwest Wing of Pfau Hall and is part of a comprehensive master plan developed for the 96,000 sq. ft. building in 2019. This project includes a 7,000 sq. ft. renovation of existing labs and new entrance. The Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite will include Life & Physical Sciences Laboratories, Microbiology Laboratory, and Biology Laboratory as well as two storage spaces, two offices, and two lab study areas.
“There’s no better time to invest in the health of our communities. This announcement only deepens our relationship with Ivy Tech Community College and advances our shared goals of providing brighter futures for our healthcare workers and to recruit some of the region’s top talent to care for our patients. Our partnership with Ivy Tech – and their outstanding work to better prepare their graduates – helps make that possible,” said Dr. Gerard Colman, Chief Executive Officer at Baptist Health.
Baptist Health has a large percentage of graduates from the Ivy Tech School of Health Sciences and the School of Nursing working at its area hospitals. Baptist Health Floyd has close to 200 employees who are Ivy Tech alumni or are currently students, in addition to hosting nursing students in its nurse residency program. In 2021 alone, Baptist Health hired 26 new graduate nurses between its Floyd, Louisville and Madisonville hospitals, with more new hires committed upon graduation.
“As Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest nursing program, we are uniquely positioned to address the growing healthcare workforce needs. It is imperative that we do so alongside employer partners such as Baptist Health, we are so thankful for their investment and proud to have the Baptist Health name for our School of Health Sciences and laboratories,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President at Ivy Tech Community College.
This effort will be coordinated alongside a separate renovation project utilizing a $3.1M grant the campus received in June 2021 through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act Recovery Assistance Grant. The EDA funds will assist renovating 18,000 sq. ft. within the Health Sciences Wing of Pfau Hall and includes a Mock Hospital and Laboratories for Medical Assisting, Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Laboratory Technology, Emergency Medical Technician, Phlebotomy, Respiratory Therapy, Therapeutic Massage, and Dental Assisting. Both projects are estimated to begin late 2022 and completed within 12-18 months.
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