BEND, Ore. – A $5,000 PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning grant is helping fund a pilot program to provide access to nursing education in rural and under-served areas. As Pacific Power’s charitable arm, the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning supports organizations that emphasize education.

The RN Training Project creates a pathway to a nursing career for those who are place-bound by family and work commitments, and a way to advance education and skills as hospital employees in Central and Eastern Oregon.

“This project creates a career ladder for highly-motivated employees who continue to work in their home hospitals and communities, while working toward their Associate Degree in Nursing,” said Jennifer Valentine, executive director, Cascades East AHEC at St. Charles Medical Center. “This nursing education model is the first-of-its-kind in Oregon, expanding educational capacity for the region by 50 percent. The program combines video-conference classes, Web-based learning, on-site clinical training, and some weekend labs.

“We are very thankful for the grant from the PacifiCorp Foundation, which will support student travel and RN testing costs, as well as with project evaluation.”

The project brings education to communities where nursing education would otherwise be inaccessible, and expands nursing education capacity in a region that is facing a nursing shortage. Students completing this new program will receive an Associates Degree and be eligible to take Oregon State Boards for Nursing at the Registered Nurse level.

The RN Training Project will serve 18 students across six rural counties and Bend, who have been selected for the new program. Partners include the Cascades East Area Health Education Center, St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, St. Charles Medical Center in Redmond, Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Prineville, Mountain View Hospital District in Madras, Lake District Hospital in Lakeview, Harney District Hospital in Burns, and Central Oregon Community College in Bend.

“Education is the best prevention for many health and social ills,” said Angela Jacobson, regional community manager for Pacific Power. “These funds will aid organizations in providing quality health-related educational programs and social services for adults, children and families in rural Oregon.”

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