Atlanta — August 3, 2004

Georgia’s effort to stem the growing shortage of health-care workers received a “booster shot” today with the announcement by University System of Georgia officials of the distribution of $2.05 million in funding to continue increasing the production of allied-health professionals statewide.

The money will be used to launch the first year of Phase Two of a highly successful public/private program administered by the University System of Georgia’s Intellectual Capital Partnership Program, or ICAPP®. Named the ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative (HPI), the program matches private-sector health-care providers with public colleges and universities to produce fast-track graduates in nursing, medical technology and pharmacy. The Initiative uses ICAPP’s proven model that meets the “just-in-time-needs” of the business community.

It is projected that $2.05 million in new state funding for year one of Phase Two will help add more than 700 nurses and other highly-trained specialists to the state’s health-care industry, joining the 600-plus already graduated from or currently enrolled in the two-year-old program.

Phase One of the HPI resulted in 632 new licensed health-care professionals being produced through customized University System “fast-track programs”– far exceeding the original goal of 500 new graduates. The successful endeavor represented a $6.75 million public/private partnership between Georgia health-care providers and the University System. Thirteen University System institutions worked with medical providers in 19 Georgia communities. Many of the colleges, universities and private sector employers involved in Phase One will continue similar programs in the next round of the Initiative.

Phase Two will use the same structure as Phase One, leveraging the $2.05 million state commitment for year one with $1.75 million in cash and in-kind support from 26 private-employer partners charged with guaranteeing the program graduates jobs. Twelve University System institutions comprise the public partners in Phase Two, charged with graduating an additional 721 health-care professionals over the two-year effort. The Georgia Hospital Association, the Georgia Student Finance Commission and the Georgia Department of Community Health also have joined with the USG and participating employers in support of the HPI.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue praises the success of the state-funded ICAPP® HPI program. “It is important that we continue to invest in the recruitment and education of Georgia health-care professionals,” Perdue stated. “I applaud all of the public and private partners who have combined their resources and joined forces to tackle what is truly a national problem. The ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative once again puts Georgia in a leadership role for finding innovative solutions to the needs of business and industry in our state.”

“The ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative is proof positive of what can be achieved when we mobilize strong public-private partnerships to tackle a problem,” said University System Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith. “We responded efficiently and quickly and the result will mean better healthcare for Georgians.”

Georgia Hospital Association President Joseph Parker also is a strong partner and advocate of HPI. “One of the biggest threats to the future of our health-care delivery system is the growing shortage of qualified health-care professionals, including nurses, medical technologists and pharmacists,” said Parker. “As Georgia’s baby boomers near retirement age and require more medical care, it is imperative that health-care providers continue to partner with state government to address this serious public-health problem. Georgia hospital officials are grateful this partnership will continue for the next two years.” The following public/private entities are partnering in Phase Two of the ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative to produce the cited number of graduates:

• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Colquitt Regional Medical Center, South Georgia Medical Center and Tift Regional Medical Center. The program will create 23 nursing jobs in Tift and Colquitt counties.
• Armstrong Atlantic State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, medical technology and imaging professional programs will join with corporate partners Memorial Health University Medical Center, Southeast Georgia Health System and St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System to create 266 positions in Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Glynn, McIntosh and Liberty counties.
• Clayton College & State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Fayette Community Hospital, Grady Health System, Kaiser Permanente, Piedmont Medical Center, Tenet Healthcare Corp., Henry Medical Center and Southern Regional Medical Center to create 60 nursing jobs in Fayette and Fulton counties and in metropolitan Atlanta.
• Columbus State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Doctors Hospital of Columbus and St. Francis Hospital. The program will create 114 nursing jobs in Muscogee County.
• Floyd College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Cartersville Medical Center, Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center to create 30 nursing jobs in Floyd and Bartow counties.
• Floyd College in partnership with Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Cartersville Medical Center, Floyd Medical Center, and Redmond Regional Medical Center. The program will create 25 nursing jobs in Floyd and Bartow counties.
• Georgia Perimeter College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners DeKalb Medical Center and Piedmont Medical Center to create 20 nursing jobs in DeKalb and Fulton counties.
• Georgia State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partners Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Tenet Healthcare Corp. and Grady Health Systems. The program will create 48 nursing jobs in Fulton County and metropolitan Atlanta.
• Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program will join with corporate partner WellStar Health Systems, Inc. to create 25 nursing jobs in metropolitan Atlanta.
• Middle Georgia College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program offered through East Georgia College will join with corporate partners Emanuel Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia to create 60 nursing jobs in Bibb, Crawford, Dodge, Emanuel, Jones, Johnson, Houston, Baldwin, Laurens, Peach, Monroe, Treutlen, Wheeler and Bleckley counties.
• The University of Georgia’s Pharmacy Professional Degree (Pharm.D) program and Albany State University will join with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and CVS Pharmacy to meet a shortage of pharmacists in southwest Georgia. The program will create 50 pharmacists jobs.

In addition to these USG institutional partners, Phase Two of the ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative will include funding for Georgia College & State University to create an accelerated program for registered nurses interested in becoming nurse educators. Successful candidates will complete the coursework necessary to earn a Master of Science in Nursing, with a teaching certification, in eight semesters instead of the normal 14. This program is designed to offset the growing number of nursing faculty nearing retirement or moving into the private sector.

As of July 1, 2004, Phase One of the ICAPP® Health Professionals Initiative has achieved the following results:

• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program produced 46 graduates, and is now complete.
• Armstrong Atlantic State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program produced 38 graduates, and is now complete.
• Clayton College & State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program projects 40 graduates when the program ends in spring of 2005.
• Columbus State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program produced 38 graduates, with 95 total graduates projected when the program ends in spring 2005.
• Darton College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program produced 88 graduates from the program, with a total of 108 graduates projected when the program ends in December 2004.
• Floyd College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program has produced 12 graduates, with a total of 32 graduates projected when the program ends in spring 2005.
• Georgia Perimeter College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program has produced 19 graduates, with a total of 24 graduates projected when the program ends in December 2004.
• Georgia State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program produced 24 graduates, and is now complete.
• Kennesaw State University’s Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing program has produced 34 graduates, with a total of 71 graduates projected when the program ends in December 2004.
• Medical College of Georgia and Armstrong Atlantic State University Bachelor of Science Degree in Medical Technology program has produced 6 graduates, with a total of 16 graduates projected when the program ends in August 2005.
• Middle Georgia College’s Associate Degree in Nursing program has produced 20 graduates, with a total of 47 graduates projected when the program ends in December 2004.
• The University of Georgia’s Pharmacy Professional Degree (Pharm.D) program, in conjunction with Albany State University, thus far has produced 8 graduates, with a total of 81 graduates projected by the program’s end in spring 2007.

For more information on the involvement of specific USG campuses in the Health Professionals Initiative, go to http://www.icapp.org/employees/HPIindex.phtml

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