Powered by community partnership, Goshen College launches new Center for Nursing and Public Health
- See more photos from the event
- View the printed program here (PDF)
- Find out more about the Westlawn renovation
This fall, Goshen College’s nursing program is celebrating its 75th anniversary from when it began offering Indiana’s first Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and is stepping boldly into the future with the new Center for Nursing and Public Health in the renovated historic Westlawn — a state-of-the-art facility created through deep community partnership.
The college marked the occasion with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the whole building on Wednesday, May 7. It also unveiled 18,000 square feet of classrooms, exam rooms, labs, offices, study areas, and more on the building’s second and third floors, specifically part of the new Center for Nursing and Public Health.
“When I think about what Goshen College is doing,” said Julie Crossley, chief nursing officer at Goshen Health, “having these state-of-the-art facilities just brings [the nursing program] up to the level of excellence that the program has always been known for.”
Building on a world-class program and designed to prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals, the center is equipped with high-tech learning tools and supported by strong partnerships, including with leading community healthcare organizations such as Goshen Health and Greencroft Communities. The two organizations couldn’t be closer to the college geographically, which adds to the synergy.
At the ceremony, Goshen College President Rebecca Stoltzfus said, “The academic programs housed in this building — nursing and public health — are deeply connected to our local community. We have been planning for the Center for Nursing and Public Health for six years in partnership with numerous regional healthcare providers.”
“We are fortunate and grateful,” she continued, “to work with Goshen Health and Greencroft as neighbors, clinical partners, thought partners, generous donors and employers of our graduates.”
Working with Goshen Health
“There’s an endless list of ways that we’ve been collaborating [with GC],” Crossley said. “It’s not often that you have a health system and a college directly across the street from one another. That allows us to be efficient and capitalize on the resources that we each have.”
Situated across Main Street from Westlawn, Goshen Health is one of Northern Indiana’s leading healthcare providers and serves as a clinical rotation site for many of the college’s nursing students.
The two organizations have had a long-standing relationship, and Goshen Health was a major partner in the renovation of Westlawn. Together, they have worked to create one of the most impressive parts of the new Center for Nursing and Public Health: the Goshen Health Simulation Lab.
Inside the lab, students train in exam rooms equipped with high-fidelity manikins — geriatric, pediatric and obstetric — that mirror those used in real patient care. A connected observation space lets students and instructors review simulations in real-time.
Typically, when students participate in clinical rotations, they get to practice the mundane tasks, but aren’t able to take part in potentially dangerous or unique situations. The new simulation lab and manikins allow students to practice the unexpected, alongside the routine, making them comfortable and ready to begin working at a high level immediately after graduation.
“We have created some very shared strategic priorities,” Crossley said. “The design work that went both into Westlawn and into the new patient tower at Goshen Health created a very similar, familiar environment — to the benefit of the students both as they are learning here, and also when they are working within the health system.”
There is a nationwide shortage of nurses, and the city of Goshen is no exception. However, the two organizations are positioning themselves for shared success and growth. Since 2018, 27.5% of Goshen Health’s newly licensed nurses are Goshen College alumni, and that number is set to continue growing as the college will be able to enroll and graduate more nurses with the increased available learning space.
Today’s nursing students at Goshen College are increasingly from local communities — 80 percent are from Indiana — and most choose to remain in Northern Indiana communities after graduation.
Goshen College and Greencroft
Goshen Health isn’t the college’s only key local healthcare partner for Westlawn, as Greencroft Communities provided financial support for the creation of the largest classroom in the building. Along the east side of the college campus is Greencroft Goshen, the largest continuing care retirement community in Indiana.
Greencroft Goshen creates an opportunity both for graduates in a variety of fields, including nursing, to work within the community and for many alumni to return to Goshen and live when they retire.
Hugh Davis, president and CEO of Greencroft, said, “I truly believe, with all of my heart, that Greencroft — both here in Goshen, and now with our footprint throughout multiple states — would not be the Greencroft that we know today without our geographic proximity to Goshen College.”
One of the largest public health issues facing the country today, Davis said, is the aging of America. To have a school with excellent nursing and public health programs next door, he added, is a boon both to places such as Greencroft and to the students who are able to witness geriatric care firsthand.
Community Partnerships: Looking Forward
As the healthcare landscape evolves, and the city’s healthcare needs grow, these partnerships become more vital. The college is already working to support local students; with 52 percent of nursing students coming from Elkhart County, the new Center for Nursing and Public Health features kitchenettes, showers, break rooms and dedicated spaces for local commuter students, which they will utilize alongside their internships, clinicals, simulations and the other ways they connect to the community.
The college offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner track and an online Doctor of Nursing Practice. With the new facility in place and in use for one semester already, the college is seeing increased interest for new students who want to enroll in these programs.
Meanwhile, alongside other community partners, Goshen College, Goshen Health and Greencroft are continuing to make sure efforts are ongoing in their collaborations for the strength of the broader Goshen community.
“Our opportunity lies within our community partnerships. We work well together, and we see the needs that people have. We’re also so lucky to have Goshen College as part of our community to provide education to people right here. And then, they are able to walk right across the street and make it to a healthcare institution, where they can have an immediate positive impact.”Jewel Yoder, Goshen College Professor of Nursing and the Chair of the Department of Nursing and Public Health
Watch the full ribbon-cutting here:
Photo Album: See more of the Center for Nursing and Public Health
