Simpson College offers health leadership degree
JOE GARDYASZ Sep 14, 2015 | 8:37 pm
2 min read time
429 wordsAll Latest News, Education, Health and WellnessSimpson College and six partnering organizations this morning announced the launch of a health services leadership program designed to meet an increasing demand for college graduates prepared to fill leadership positions in health care fields.
The new program was developed over the past two years through a collaboration with private health care and community partners. The concept was initially proposed by Steven Johnson, a Simpson trustee and alumnus who is president and CEO of CareView Communications Inc., a Texas-based health care company.
The program includes a new undergraduate major and minor in health leadership as well as a post-baccalaureate certificate. Workshops and conferences are also planned under the auspices of Simpson’s continuing and graduate programs.
“We believe this is an exciting turning point in the 155-year history of Simpson College,” said Jay Simmons, president of Simpson College, who with representatives of the partner organizations announced the new program in a press conference this morning at the Wellmark YMCA.
The other partners in the program with CareView Communications and the YMCA of Greater Des Moines are LCS, WesleyLife, Merit Senior Living and Des Moines Area Community College.
Simpson and its partners have invested nearly $200,000 in upfront support to jump-start the program rather than waiting for student demand and tuition to support the program, Simmons said.
The program is a response to an exploding demand for leadership talent in health care fields. By 2030, the over-65 population in the United States will have grown to 26.3 million Americans, fueling the demand for health care occupations. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 14 of the 30 occupations with the most growth through 2022 will be related to health care.
Highlighting the health care leadership gap, Joel Nelson, president and CEO of Des Moines-based LCS, said a survey of approximately 2,000 retirement communities his company works with revealed that 68 percent of the CEOs of those organizations plan to retire within the next four years.
The program, which was developed with input from an advisory council made up of broad representation from the health care and senior living fields, will provide a new pipeline of leadership talent for employers, said Jacy Downey, an assistant professor and the program’s director.
“It’s a win-win situation for employers and students to create these opportunities,” Downey said, “But who really wins are the patients who will be served.”
The program which began with two introductory classes this fall, currently has 11 students enrolled, and enrollment is expected to ramp up quickly within the next couple of years to more than 30 students. Click here for more information.
Trending News
