St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation receives $1.5 million gift from Aetna Better Health of West Virginia for St. Mary’s School of Nursing

St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation has received a $1.5 million gift from Aetna Better Health of West Virginia for St. Mary’s School of Nursing.

A total of $1.4 million will be used toward expansion and renovation efforts at the school, while the remaining $100,000 will be used to fund an endowed School of Nursing scholarship.

“We are so grateful to Aetna Better Health of West Virginia for their generous gift and truly appreciate their dedication to the health and well-being of our community,” said Angie Swearingen, COO, St. Mary’s Medical Center. “We are excited about the future opportunities for our nursing students that have been made possible by this gift.”

“St. Mary’s School of Nursing has a tremendous legacy of training nurses for more than 96 years,” said Joey Trader, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, vice president, Schools of Nursing and Health Professions at St. Mary’s Medical Center and director, St. Mary’s School of Nursing. “Expanding our school will allow more students to achieve their dreams of becoming a nurse to provide high-quality, compassionate care to the people of our region and beyond.”

St. Mary’s School of Nursing plans to renovate current space to create larger classes and provide additional academic support rooms, as well as upgrade equipment and classrooms. The renovation and expansion is expected to support up to 20 new nursing students.

“Aetna Better Health of West Virginia is pleased to have the opportunity to make this gift to the St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation,” said Todd White, CEO, Aetna Better Health of West Virginia. “Our organization recognizes the need for well-trained medical professionals in our state and the outstanding work done by St. Mary’s School of Nursing to help fill that need. The $1.5M scholarship grant we are providing is part of a two-phase state investment program by Aetna Better Health of West Virginia to strengthen the services most needed to address the medical conditions plaguing our population. This includes substance use disorder, neonatal abstinence syndrome, diabetes, serious emotional disorders, and renal failure.”

For more information about St. Mary’s School of Nursing, visit www.st-marys.org.