News Releases

'Grow Your Own' Grant Will Help St. Luke's Hospital Enhance Healthcare Workforce

Chesterfield, Mo., September 5, 2013 - St. Luke's Hospital has been awarded a "Grow Your Own" grant from the Missouri Hospital Association to help recruit, retain and enhance the hospital's workforce. The $50,000 grant will be used to increase the number of degreed healthcare professionals and to foster the development of emerging leaders through St. Luke's Future FACES of Leadership and Future of Healthcare programs.

"Offering these vital programs means that St. Luke's will be able to continue developing the healthcare team necessary to improve the quality of life for our patients and the community," said Beth Hillestad, St. Luke's Hospital leadership coach. "We are grateful for the MHA's support of our efforts through the Grow Your Own grant."

St. Luke's Future FACES of Leadership program is designed to create a professional development track for employees to acquire important skills necessary to become effective leaders within the organization in order to fill gaps seamlessly as senior leaders retire. The hospital has established a 10-week curriculum consisting of core competency areas for emerging leaders. "FACES" is an acronym for "Friendly, Available, Caring, Efficient and Safe," which describes the culture all employees commit to when they join St. Luke's.

Through St. Luke's Future of Healthcare program, educational funding will be provided for allied health professionals with a focus on BSN completion. St. Luke's will provide a two-year tuition match benefit for each qualified participant. The goal of the program is to give these employees a chance to grow their professional leadership skills and advance their careers.

"The workforce challenge for Missouri hospitals is two-fold," said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO. "First, hospitals must address the shortage of educated healthcare workers, including primary care physicians, nurses, therapists and imaging technicians, to meet the expanding demand for care. Second, hospital leaders also must recruit and retain talented individuals to manage increasingly complex healthcare organizations. The Grow Your Own program allows hospitals to address these challenges with plans that are tailored to the needs of their organizations and the communities they serve."

Applications for the Grow Your Own Hospital Grant Program were reviewed by an independent committee composed of representatives from healthcare, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations with experience in healthcare grant development and funding processes.

About St. Luke's Hospital
St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, Mo. is a regional healthcare provider committed to improving the quality of life for patients and the community. The 493-bed, not-for-profit hospital offers care in more than 60 specialty areas and serves the region from more than 20 locations across the greater St. Louis area. St. Luke's is the only St. Louis hospital recognized as one of America's 50 Best Hospitals™ by Healthgrades® (2007-2013).

CONTACT:
Megan Donovan, APR
314-576-2373
314-823-1874 (pager)
megan.donovan@stlukes-stl.com

232 S. Woods Mill Rd.
Chesterfield, Mo. 63017
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