Community Health Centers and Western Governors University Partner to Address RN Shortage

Community Health Centers and Western Governors University Partner to Address
RN Shortage

National Association of Community Health Centers to Support Clinical Training
for WGU's New Nursing Prelicensure Program

SALT LAKE CITY, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association
of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and Western Governors University,
www.wgu.edu, will partner to provide clinical training opportunities as part
of WGU's new competency-based bachelor's degree program leading to initial RN
licensure. The program, which began in California last July and will launch in
Texas next month, combines WGU's online, competency-based academic approach
with intensive clinical simulations and clinical practice supervised by onsite
clinical coaches serving as WGU adjunct faculty.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081030/DC42901LOGO )

Community Health Centers across the U.S. provide primary care services to 20
million people in America. Like hospitals and other healthcare providers,
these centers must address the growing shortage of registered nurses.
According to Department of Health and Human Services statistics, there will be
more than 1.2 vacant nursing positions by 2014. In addition, nursing schools
turn away tens of thousands of applicants each year -- there is an increasing
shortage of nurse educators as well as clinical training opportunities.

To develop its new prelicensure degree program, WGU has collaborated with
national and state workforce agencies, healthcare foundations, and major
hospitals and healthcare providers. Fully accredited and approved by the
California and Texas Boards of Nursing, the program is designed to be the
first national, online, competency-based bachelor's degree program in nursing
(prelicensure).

"WGU is committed to improving patient care by making quality nursing
education accessible and affordable," said Jan Jones-Schenk, Director of the
National Prelicensure Program. "In addition to this new program, WGU's College
of Health Professions offers master's degrees in nursing leadership and
education as well as a bachelor's degree program for licensed RNs. We look
forward to working with the NACHC to provide new training opportunities for
nurses and prospective nurses."

"NACHC is proud to be a partner in this effort with WGU, which could not come
at a more critical time," said Tom Curtin, Chief Medical Officer at NACHC.
"The current supply of primary care professionals is already being outpaced by
rising demand. The future of primary care depends on programs like these that
foster the workforce pipeline in new and innovative ways."

WGU's College of Health Professions offers a unique academic approach
specifically designed for working nurses. Rather than attending traditional
classes and earning credit hours, students are required to demonstrate their
knowledge and competency by writing papers, completing assignments, and taking
exams. Degree requirements have been developed in collaboration with the
healthcare industry to ensure that nursing graduates are skilled in patient
care, nurse education, and nurse leadership, and WGU's nursing programs are
accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Each
student is assigned a mentor, who acts as coach and guide throughout the
degree program. WGU's terms are six months in length and can start the first
of any month. Students work with their mentors to develop an academic schedule
that fits their lives and schedules. For more information, go to
www.wgu.edu/healthcenters or call 1-866-225-5948 (866-CALL-WGU).

About Western Governors University (WGU)
"[WGU is] the best relatively cheap university you've never heard of."-TIME
magazine
Recently featured on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, WGU is the only
online university in the U.S. offering competency-based degree programs. The
private, non-profit university has been a leader in online education for more
than 10 years. The recipient of the USDLA 21st Century Award for Best
Practices in Distance Learning for 2008, WGU has been honored as one of 2008's
Top 20 Military Friendly Colleges and Universities by Military Advanced
Education magazine. WGU sponsors the Online Student Survival Guide, a blog
that addresses many of the questions and daily concerns students attending any
online college or university may face.

Now serving more than 15,000 students in all 50 states, WGU was founded by 19
U.S. governors, and is supported by more than 20 leading corporations and
foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, BearingPoint, Dell, Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, HCA, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest,
SunGard Higher Education, Sun Microsystems, and Zions Bank. WGU offers
bachelor's and master's degrees in business, information technology, teacher
education, and health professions. More information is available at
www.wgu.edu.

About the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
Founded in 1971, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)
is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to
quality, community-responsive health care for America's medically underserved
and uninsured. NACHC represents the nation's network of more than 1,250
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), which serve 20 million people
through 7,500 sites located in all of the 50 states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. Learn more about NACHC at
www.nachc.com.

To address these needs, the National Association of Community Health Centers
(NACHC) organized in 1971. NACHC works with a network of state health center
and primary care organizations to serve health centers in a variety of ways:
-- Provide research-based advocacy for health centers and their clients.
-- Educate the public about the mission and value of health centers.
-- Train and provide technical assistance to health center staff and
boards.

-- Develop alliances with private partners and key stakeholders to foster
the delivery of primary health care services to communities in need.

Contacts for media inquiries:
Western Governors University
Joan Mitchell - Director of PR 801-428-5463
jmitchell@wgu.edu

National Association of Community Health Centers
Amy Simmons - Director of Communications
301-347-0476
asimmons@nachc.com

Contact for enrollment information: 866-225-5948

SOURCE Western Governors University

Joan Mitchell - Director of PR of Western Governors University,
+1-801-428-5463, jmitchell@wgu.edu; or Amy Simmons - Director of
Communications of National Association of Community Health Centers,
+1-301-347-0476, asimmons@nachc.com