St. Mary’s Medical Center expands Center for Education with $900K investment from Aetna Better Health of West Virginia

First scholarship awarded to local nursing student

(L-R): Abbey Nutter, first-ever recipient of the Aetna Better Health of WV Scholarship; Jim Smallridge, director of community development, Aetna Better Health of WV; Dr. Joey Trader, vice president of schools of nursing and health professions, CFE; Todd White, CEO, Aetna Better Health of WV; Dr. Kevin Yingling, CEO, Marshall Health Network; Sr. Danuta Przybykek, Provincial, North American Province of the Pallottine Missionary Sisters; Angie Swearingen, COO, St. Mary’s Medical Center.

St. Mary’s Medical Center, a member of Marshall Health Network, has received a $900,000 community investment from Aetna Better Health of West Virginia to build an additional education wing at St. Mary’s Center for Education (CFE). In 2021, Aetna Better Health of West Virginia provided $1.5 million to launch the building project with $100,000 allocated for an endowed scholarship to ease the financial burden for CFE nursing students.

With this new funding, the CFE will expand the existing 58,000 square-foot space to an additional 7,000 square feet, which will house two large classrooms with a 90-seat capacity and podium presentation capability, as well as added laboratory and simulation learning spaces for students and instructors.

“St. Mary’s has led healthcare education for nearly 100 years, and in doing so, we’re proud to have trained hundreds of students who have gone on to serve our community and our state,” said Dr. Joey Trader, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, vice president of the Schools of Nursing and Health Professions. “We have maximized space we currently have, and we’re so grateful to Aetna Better Health of West Virginia for their generous gift, which will allow us to expand our physical space to more easily facilitate nursing education and to recruit more nurses into the workforce.”

Abbey Nutter, a senior nursing student from Chesapeake, Ohio, was named the first recipient of the Aetna Better Health of WV endowed scholarship valued at $1,000.

During a check presentation event held at the CFE on March 5, Abby Nutter, a senior nursing student from Chesapeake, Ohio, was named the first recipient of the Aetna Better Health of West Virginia endowed scholarship valued at $1,000.

Aetna Better Health of West Virginia has been serving West Virginians who use Medicaid services for more than 30 years — from kids, adults and seniors to people with disabilities or other serious health issues. Todd White, CEO of Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, said their organization is only as strong as its partner providers.

“Addressing the nursing shortage is as important to Aetna Better Health of West Virginia as it is to our community healthcare partners,” White said. “Through this gift, we truly feel we can make a difference and change lives for the better. We love working with proactive partners like Marshall Health Network and St. Mary’s Center for Education who are always looking toward the future.”

As a nurse for more than 30 years, Jim Smallridge, director of community development for Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, said this investment is personal for him.

“I have seen all aspects of the nursing profession, and the need for well-trained nurses is so great,” Smallridge said. “Through the expansion of the existing state-of-the-art facility at St. Mary’s Center for Education, we will help meet our community’s need for highly-skilled nurses who have been trained with the latest technologies. Amazing things can happen when community health workers and health plans such as Aetna Better Health of West Virginia come together.”

Opened in 2010, the St. Mary's Center for Education provides the highest quality education to healthcare professionals and students in the fields of nursing, medical imaging and respiratory care.

For more information about the CFE, contact Dr. Trader at 304.526.1416 or visit www.st-marys.org/careers-and-education/. To learn more about giving back to CFE students, visit https://mhnfoundations.org/donate/.