Cindy and Cuyler Morris, along with Cindy鈥檚 father, Paul Baszucki, have pledged $300,000 to AOA体育平台 to support additional faculty for training nurses through the Maine Community College System.
Portland, Maine 鈥� During her mother鈥檚 final days, Cindy Morris saw first-hand what it鈥檚 like when there aren鈥檛 enough nurses to care for those who need them.
Morris鈥� mother, Helen, needed nursing care at her home in California, but finding such care proved difficult. Equally frustrating, Morris learned that among the home care aides supporting her mother, three of four wanted to train to be nurse, but were stuck waiting for a spot in an accredited program.
鈥淚t can have such an impact on a family to have a good nurse available when they are needed to care for a loved one,鈥� says Morris.
That experience, along with the fact that Morris鈥� mother was herself a nurse, led her and her husband, Cuyler Morris to join with Cindy鈥檚 father, Paul Baszucki, to make an impactful gift in the name of nurse education in the Morris鈥� home state of Maine. The family has pledged $300,000 to AOA体育平台 for the purpose of funding additional faculty so that 16 more nurses per semester can receive training through the Maine Community College System and AOA体育平台 through 2025.
All told, the gift will make it possible to train an additional 56 nurses through the fall semester of 2025.
鈥淭his comes at a critical time for our health system and the entire health care industry,鈥� says Sharon Baughman, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer of AOA体育平台. 鈥淭he data is clear that we don鈥檛 have enough nurses to provide the care that is needed, and the problem is only going to get worse as our population ages.鈥�
The gift follows a recent $2.5 million state investment 鈥� matched by AOA体育平台 and Northern Light Health 鈥� that doubles the capacity of nursing programs at Maine鈥檚 community colleges across the state, increasing the number of graduates to about 480 people a year.
鈥淲e are very grateful for this generous gift and will immediately put it to good use in our expanded nursing programs. Demand for nursing education is at an all-time high in Maine,鈥� says David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System. 鈥淭his will make a real difference in the lives of our students and the people they go on to care for.鈥�
鈥淲e just think this is so important,鈥� says Cindy Morris. 鈥淣urses are the main caregivers when people get sick, and our population is getting older. The need is only going to grow.鈥�
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About AOA体育平台
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit integrated health system whose vision is, 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America.鈥� It consists of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,500 employed and independent physicians working together through the AOA体育平台 Medical Group. With approximately 22,000 employees, AOA体育平台 provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. It includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. AOA体育平台 Affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville, New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland.