BHSH Health System Announces New Nursing Program

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BHSH System, the combined healthcare system comprised of Spectrum Health and Beaumont Health, has announced a $19 million initiative to address Michigan’s nursing shortage. The BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program will seek to support nursing students to widen the pipeline of those entering the field. Speaking Tuesday, BHSH President Tina Freese Decker said the state has a dire need for more nurses.

“We don’t have enough nurses to care for the people in our state, and that shortage has been exasperated by the burnout and stress caused by the pandemic,” Decker said. “Projections indicate a shortage of as many as 30,000 nurses in Michigan by 2030.”

BHSH System is teaming up with Grand Valley State University to get more nursing students and help them graduate.

“The BHSH spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar partnership will create an opportunity for up to 500 additional students to pursue a career in nursing over the next six years.”

Decker said after all the approvals and accreditations, the BHSH Spectrum Health West Michigan Nurse Scholar program will be in place by January of 2023. GVSU will assume all future infrastructure costs and maintain a permanent increase in the number of students admitted to its Kirkhof College of Nursing while BHSH puts up the funding. The two note more than 92% of all GVSU graduates in the health professions stay in Michigan.