The East Florida Division of HCA Healthcare is proud to announce that HCA Healthcare will donate $500,000 to Nova Southeastern University (NSU) to help build a clinical simulation lab to support their new anesthesia nursing program. This donation is part of HCA Healthcare’s $10 million over three years to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
“Investing in education and training is critical to the future of healthcare,” said Charles Gressle, president of HCA Healthcare’s East Florida Division. “This important initiative represents a significant step forward in our mission to promote excellence in medical education and support the next generation of healthcare leaders.”
According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, there could be a shortage of approximately 12,500 nurse anesthetists by 2033. To address this problem, NSU is currently developing a nurse anesthesia program. This donation from HCA Healthcare will fund the faculty and equipment, including a clinical simulation lab, needed to establish nurse anesthesia training at the Palm Beach Gardens and Ft. Myers locations.
“As one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, we understand the importance of developing the next generation of nurses. We are honored to partner with Nova Southeastern University to address the nationwide nursing shortage.”
Sherri Neal, Chief Diversity Officer, HCA Healthcare
Founded in 1964, NSU is a private, nonprofit Hispanic educational institution located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. NSU has been classified as a “high research activity” research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be recognized with Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.
“We are pleased that HCA Healthcare is partnering with NSU to achieve the worthy goal of providing our nursing students with a state-of-the-art learning space that will prepare them for all the challenges they will face in this career field,” said George L. Hanbury II, President and CEO of NSU.
HCA Healthcare and its East Florida Division have a long-standing relationship with NSU. In 2022, the East Florida Division donated $250,000 to the university, which was matched by HCA Healthcare, to support scholarships. That total of $500,000 was then matched by Florida’s LINE program.
HCA Healthcare has a long history of partnering with colleges across the country to strengthen the diversity of the organization’s talent pool. These partnerships include:
About the HCA East Florida Division:
The HCA East Florida Division, a part of HCA Florida Healthcare, is a family of 14 hospitals, seven freestanding emergency departments, 12 ambulatory surgery centers and 105 physician offices along the Treasure Coast and in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. More than 15,000 dedicated colleagues proudly make up the East Florida Division and are committed to improving more lives in more ways and giving back to communities. For more information, visit HCAFloridaHealthcare.com.
