TJC OKs Partnership For Nursing Program
By MEGAN MIDDLETON
Staff Writer
A nursing program will return to Jacksonville, possibly in August, after Tyler Junior College trustees approved a partnership Thursday between the college and several entities to create a School of Nursing at East Texas Medical Center-Jacksonville.
Staff Writer
A nursing program will return to Jacksonville, possibly in August, after Tyler Junior College trustees approved a partnership Thursday between the college and several entities to create a School of Nursing at East Texas Medical Center-Jacksonville.
The college is partnering with Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation, East Texas Medical Center and Trinity Mother Frances Health System to make the program possible.
“It should be a facility that you’re going to be proud of,” Dr. Mike Metke, TJC president, told trustees during a work session Thursday. “It’s going to be first rate.”
Brian Turman, director of purchasing for TJC, said the school will have “state of the art nursing technology” with all new equipment.
“It will be something that not only ETMC, Trinity Mother Frances and JEDCO can be proud of, it will be something that the college can hang its hat on,” Turman said. “It’s 100 percent improved from when it was there before.”
The program was previously housed in a church, he said.
But this time around ETMC will provide 4,500 square feet at ETMC-Jacksonville for four classrooms, labs and offices.
Renovations will have to take place first, though. ETMC will give up 17 hospital rooms to be demolished and remodeled to make space for the nursing school, officials said.
“We’re converting most of a wing into classrooms and labs, so it’s a pretty permanent commitment they’re making,” Metke said.
Officials said Thursday that they will do their best to have the facility ready by Aug. 25. The lease agreement is for five years.
The plan is that Trinity Mother Frances Health System will provide $225,000 — $75,000 a year for three years — to help fund faculty members, which Metke said have been hard to come by.
The Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation will contribute about $240,000 up front, providing a total of about $360,000 over the course of three years, officials said. The money will go toward start-up costs.
Metke said JEDCO is giving more than the college’s initial request, noting that “it’s been a wonderful partnership.”
“Once we get started up, then it will be TJC’s responsibility to carry the program forward,” Metke said.
“We’ve crunched all the numbers and it looks to be self sustaining,” he said.
Metke explained that the college used to have a program in Jacksonville, but it was closed because of issues related to facilities and accreditation.
“Now we’re reopening — and we’re really going to reopen with a vengeance,” he said. “We used to do LVNs (Licensed Vocational Nurses). Now we’re going to do RNs (Registered Nurses) and LVNs.”
There are places for about 40 nursing students, officials said. That’s not including plans for other programs, such as EMT training, at that facility as well. The president said he easily expects to fill these programs.
Metke said there is a strong demand for nurses. The average LVN makes more than $30,000 in starting salary and the average RN makes more than $40,000, he said.
“After those 40 nurses graduate, it’s well over a million dollars worth of jobs that are waiting for people,” he said. “These are jobs that are unfilled. Rather than importing people from elsewhere, we’ll grow our own for jobs that exist.”
He told the board during its meeting Thursday, “I’m really pleased that we have strong partners, quality partners and we’re really going to be able to do something not only for Jacksonville … but for all East Texas.”
RUNOFF
The TJC board also set June 14 as the date for the runoff election to occur for the Place 9 seat on the board.
A runoff election is necessary to determine whether Melinda Coker or Rohn Boone will win the seat. In a three-way race for the seat Saturday, Mrs. Coker led with 2,628 votes, or 41.2 percent, to Boone’s 2,541 votes, or 39.8 percent. Steven Sherwood won 1,209 votes, or 18.9 percent.
A candidate must win at least 50 percent of the vote.
Also Thursday, David Hudson and Ann Brookshire, who were unopposed in the election to keep their seats on the board, took the oaths of office.
New officers were elected for the board — Lonny Uzzell was chosen as president of the board; while Clint Roxburgh was selected as first vice president and John Hills as second vice president.
Hudson, who was previously the board president, was recognized and thanked for his leadership. Metke thanked Hudson for helping get him off to a “great start” at TJC.
OTHER ITEMS
Other items on the agenda that trustees approved include: a resolution authorizing the president of the board to execute deed for the sale of delinquent tax property in Smith County; amending a tax abatement agreement with Hood Flexible Packaging; a tax abatement for Sealtite Building Fasteners; renewal of agreement for an on-campus clinic between TJC and ETMC; memorandum of understanding between TJC and Travelmasters; tennis court upgrade; resolution amending authorized Texpool representatives; and consideration of addendum to services agreement with Phillips Productions Inc. for continuing marketing consulting services.
The board also heard resolutions in memory of George Rudy and Mike Wall. Personnel actions the board took after it met in closed session include:
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