Regis University and HealthONE Forge Partnership
Trusted institutions collaborate to provide educational opportunities and foster healthcare workforce growth
Regis University and HealthONE, the metro Denver area’s largest healthcare system, have partnered to create a Health Careers Collaborative that will enhance educational and professional development opportunities, build a workforce equipped to meet the healthcare needs of this growing state, and create healthier communities across Colorado.
The collaboration between two mission-driven organizations will enhance quality of care for patients, support career growth for aspiring and current clinicians, and provide students with critical, hands-on experience in a variety of healthcare fields. HealthONE will award five need-based scholarships of $10,000 each to new students from under-represented communities.
Regis, which has schools of nursing, pharmacy and physical therapy and divisions of counseling and family therapy and health services education, will be an educational partner with HealthONE, including offering scholarships and discounted tuition to HealthONE employees. At the same time, Regis students will gain valuable experience, working alongside skilled professionals in placements including clinical rotations at HealthONE’s acute-care hospitals.
The partnership will create internship opportunities in healthcare administration, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, counseling and family therapy, quality and risk-management and leadership education. During the next three years, HealthONE and Regis leaders plan to increase the number of clinical placements for students across HealthONE.
“In creating those opportunities, the collaboration will help address a growing scarcity of healthcare providers and assist in facilitating expansion of high-demand programs in nursing,” said Linda Osterlund, academic dean of Regis’ Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions.
Current HealthONE employees will benefit as well, with opportunities to pursue career development, including advanced degrees, at reduced tuition in Regis healthcare programs. In addition, the former Swedish Medical Center Auxiliary has provided the University with a $300,000 endowed scholarship for current Swedish Medical Center employees who wish to advance their health professions education at Regis.
“The partnership with Regis University is a testament not only to our desire to serve the community, but also our earnest commitment to ensuring our hospitals and healthcare facilities are staffed with the highest-caliber colleagues,” said Sylvia Young, president and CEO of HealthONE. “We are proud of this unique, forward-thinking collaboration that will ultimately benefit our patients and our staff.”
The collaboration will provide opportunities for HealthONE employees to join in furthering Regis University’s mission of service. “We will be opening our service learning opportunities, such as participating in the 9Health Fair, to HealthONE employees,” Osterlund said.
HealthONE will spotlight opportunities provided by the collaborative at benefit fairs and professional development courses for employees, while Regis will promote the collaboration at career fairs. HealthONE also will host a Regis University Day, aimed at hospital leaders, recruiters, and employees from both partners, at its Center for Clinical Advancement in Englewood.
About Regis University
Regis’ Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions (RHCHP) consists of three schools and two divisions, including the Loretto Heights School of Nursing, the School of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy (including Occupational Therapy), the Division of Counseling and Family Therapy, and the Division of Health Services Education.
Established in 1877, Regis University is a premier, globally engaged institution of higher learning in the Jesuit Catholic tradition that prepares leaders to live productive lives of faith, meaning and service. One of 28 Jesuit universities in the nation, Regis has three campus locations in the Denver metro area and extensive online program offerings with more than 8,000 enrolled students. For more information, visit www.regis.edu.
About HealthONE
HealthONE is the largest healthcare system in the metro Denver area with more than 11,000 employees. As part of the HealthONE system of care, The Medical Center of Aurora, North Suburban Medical Center, Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children, Rose Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, and Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital work together to provide a higher level of care. In addition, our family of services includes several hospital free-standing emergency departments and numerous ambulatory surgery centers, CareNow urgent care and occupational medicine clinics, physician practices, imaging centers, and AIRLIFE-DENVER, which provides critical care air and ground transportation across a 10-state region. HCA Healthcare’s Continental Division, which includes HealthONE, was named the #1 large hospital system in the United States by IBM Watson Health as part of the 15 Top Health Systems recognition process. And, as the #7 corporate philanthropist in the Denver-metro area, and the only hospital system in the top 10, HealthONE contributed more than $1.6 million in 2019 and supports over 150 organizations through cash and in-kind donations.