Ivy Tech, Baptist Health Partner in Sellersburg
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Ivy Tech Community College and Louisville-based Baptist Health have announced a $2.5 million partnership. Ivy Tech says the commitment will establish the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences and support renovations of Pfau Hall on its Sellersburg campus.
As part of the renovation work, Ivy Tech will create the Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite, which will feature life and physical sciences labs, a microbiology lab, and a biology lab, as well as storage space, offices and two lab study areas.
“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,” Ivy Tech Sellersburg Chancellor Dr. Travis Haire said in written remarks. “This collaborative-approach dramatically enhances both Ivy Tech and Baptist Health’s ability to provide quality service to our community.”
Ivy Tech says nearly 200 employees at Baptist Health Floyd Hospital in New Albany are Ivy Tech alumni or current students. The college says the health system hired 26 graduate nurses among three of its hospitals in 2021 alone.
“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,” said Baptist Chief Executive Officer Dr. Gerard Colman. “Our partnership with Ivy Tech – and their outstanding work to better prepare their graduates – helps make that possible.”
Ivy Tech says the renovation effort will be coordinated with a separate project to renovate 18,000 square feet of the Health Sciences Wing at Pfau Hall, which is being funded through a $3.1 million CARES Act grant.
Both projects are expected to begin in late 2022 and take up to 18 months to complete.