Representatives of Memorial Health and Illinois State University’s Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) have announced a partnership between the two groups that will facilitate the opening of an MCN location in Springfield.
Marsha Prater (pictured) helped make the announcement Tuesday. She is senior vice-president and chief nursing officer with Memorial Health. Also present were Ed Curtis, president and CEO of Memorial Health, and Terri Goss Kinzy, president of Illinois State University.
The partnership between Memorial Health and ISU’s Mennonite College of Nursing addresses a severe shortage of nurses in the region by increasing capacity to educate individuals to become nurses in central Illinois.
The MCN location in Springfield is expected to open in fall 2023, with enrollment of 48 juniors anticipated at that time. The program is ultimately expected to have over 100 juniors and seniors once at capacity.
Memorial Health will provide about $6 million over the next 10 years to establish and support the MCN Springfield location.