Northwest Hospital Alliance Grants $100,000 to NIC Nursing Program

The Northwest Hospital Alliance presented the North Idaho College nursing program with a $100,000 grant to help support nursing education in our region.

Pictured (from left): (front) Nancy Murren, NIC; Dr. Lita Burns, NIC; Marian Underdahl, NIC; Joan Simon, Kootenai Health; Tari Yourzek, Boundary Community Hospital (back) Eilene Pickett, NIC; Brittany Heidenreich, NIC; Kim Mitchell, NIC; Shannon Badgett, NIC; Misty Robertson, Bonner General Health; Beth Bates, Shoshone Medical Center; and Claudia Miewald, Kootenai Health

“North Idaho College is grateful for the longstanding partnership with the Northwest Hospital Alliance. The relationship truly is symbiotic,” said NIC Vice President for Instruction, Dr. Lita A. Burns (previously dean of Health Professions and Nursing). “North Idaho College Nursing Programs achieve outstanding student success because of the excellent clinical education the students receive at Kootenai Health and the other Alliance partner hospitals. The nurses are willing to teach and mentor students knowing that one day the students will be their peers.”The Hospital Alliance has a history of supporting the program, gifting $1.2 million over the past decade.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance is delighted to be able to extend this grant funding to the nursing program at North Idaho College,” Joan Simon, Kootenai Health Chief Nursing Officer, said. “We see as part of our mission that we have a responsibility to ensure a knowledgeable, skilled and stable nursing workforce. These dollars will serve to strengthen the collaboration between the hospital and our academic partner, NIC; allowing us to work together on initiatives that strengthen and advance are professional nursing workforce in our region.”

The funds will not only help to educate future area nurses, but will also help those currently in the field maintain competencies and further develop their skill sets.

“The Northwest Hospital Alliance has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with North Idaho College, specifically when it comes to nursing education,” Tari Yourzek, Chief Nursing Officer at Boundary Community Hospital, said. “Funds given will assist in keeping the quality of nursing education at the level our region has grown to expect. In addition, the collaborative efforts of the college and the nursing leadership in our region have fostered a great relationship between our local hospitals and NIC. The future of nursing depends on these relationships in order to provide our community with the highest quality patient care and outcomes.”