Paducah hospitals boost commitment to nursing education

ACTC librarian guides students on the journey

Super service Dewey wins United Way's Tittle Award

Paducah hospitals boost commitment to nursing education

The country's nursing shortage may never hit western Kentucky thanks to an unique partnership between West Kentucky Community and Technical College and Western Baptist and Lourdes hospitals.

Three years ago, the hospitals agreed to pay $170,000 each to add nursing faculty positions at the college. Both hospitals renewed their support Thursday during a ceremony at the college's Allied Health Building. With approximately 40 nursing students watching and dressed in their white uniforms, the hospitals promised to pay $450,000 or $75,000 each over the next three years through Paducah Junior College Inc., the foundation that supports WKCTC.

The funding will allow the college to add 3.5 faculty positions to its associate degree nursing program. The extra staffing has allowed the school to increase its nursing enrollment.

"We've increased our enrollment which in turn helps our community and helps with the nursing shortage," said Tena Payne, chairwoman of WKCTC’s nursing division. "We don't have as significant a shortage as they do in other parts of the country and other parts of the state because we've been doing this for awhile. You can't do it overnight. It was very perceptive on all our parts."

Payne said the college has been able to admit 40 additional students each year since the funding began three years ago.

"By May, we'll have graduated 82 nurses, which is significant since we're doing it twice a year. We're decreasing our class size, while we're increasing our enrollment as a whole," Payne said. "People like to live in western Kentucky so we don't feel we are educating nurses for the rest of the country. We're doing it for our community."

Dr. Barbara Veazey, WKCTC president, said the partnership is the best example of businesses and education working together for the good of the community.

"Both hospitals had the vision and stepped out front three years ago," Veazey said. "Other communities across the state are now looking at what was done in western Kentucky as a model."

Veazey said the number of registered nursing graduates at WKCTC will have doubled this year since December 2002.

Western Baptist President Larry Barton said the partnership has helped his hospital hire nurses from the area, instead of relying on traveling nurses. "We look forward to being part of (the partnership) for many years to come," he said.

Dr. William Wheeler, Lourdes president, said Lourdes has the lowest nursing vacancy in its 33-hospital system. "This is a new and innovative model and I'm glad we can be a small part of it," he said.

Appreciation plaques recognizing both hospitals were unveiled at the ceremony and will be displayed in the lobby of the health building.

The $450,000 gift brings the college's "Fulfilling the Promise" resource development plan to close to a million dollars.

ACTC librarian guides students on the journey

With the advent of the Internet, essentially a global library linked by computers, the quest for information has become still more challenging.

Ashland Community and Technical College librarian Sara Brown wants to help college students plow through the almost infinite amount of information, both printed and electronic, so they can find what they need.

What she's talking about is information literacy, or the ability to find, evaluate and use the endless sources out there.

She hosts hourlong sessions with a wide spectrum of classes at ACTC, everything from science to communications. Her goal is to raise students' awareness of the wide range of materials and how to evaluate them.

Because of the unfettered nature of the Internet, the ability to evaluate becomes more important, Brown said.

Anyone can set up a Web site with impressive text, graphics and photographs, so the outward appearance doesn't necessarily reflect its credibility.

In her presentation, Brown guides students to university-sponsored databases from which they can draw much of their reference material.

She provides them a step-by-step checklist to follow while checking out a Web site.

The checklist prompts students to ascertain whether the site's sources are well documented, whether it is biased, whether the authors have the credentials to address the subject.

Her top two guidelines: be suspicious and think critically about every Web page.

Once information-literate, students are prepared for life skills as well as academic ones, she said.

For instance, there are endless sites with medical information, and people need to know how to evaluate them, she said.

"That's one of our main goals (at ACTC), lifelong learning," she said.

Brown's presentation is worth devoting an hour of class time, said Shirley Boyd, instructor for a communications class that recently convened at the library.

"As college students, they need to keep up with information sources," Boyd said. That can be hard in an age of fast-moving technology, when information becomes obsolete so quickly, she said.

Most of her students tell her they get their information on the Web, and she wants them to think critically about the sources, she said.

They need to recognize sites that are impartial and those that advocate a position, she said.

"Students tend to take things at face value. We're trying to get them to question things."

Brown's presentation was helpful, said Krista Ratcliff of Louisa, who is majoring in biology.

"I'll have lots of research papers to write and she showed us a lot of good Web sites," Ratcliff said.

Her busy schedule doesn't allow her much time for browsing, so the guidance toward reputable sites and databases is valuable, she said.

Super service Dewey wins United Way's Tittle Award

Debbie Dewey might have fought back tears when she accepted this year's Gordon B. Tittle Award Thursday, but she didn't fight the many compliments and handshakes she received for her years of hard work to make Henderson County a better place.

"This is just one of the most generous communities -- that's why it feels like home," she said at this year's United Way of Henderson County dinner and awards ceremony at Wolf's Banquet and Convention Center. "It always surprises me how much people will give of their time and money to support community needs, and this is one of the most generous communities I've ever experienced."

Tittle was chairman of the United Way campaign in 1980 but died of cancer one year later. The annual award was created in his name in recognition of long service to the agency and dedication to the ideals and principles of community service.

Dewey, who attended the event with her husband, David, has served in many capacities for the United Way of Henderson County. The Henderson resident has been on the allocation panel since 2000 and has been a business and industry fund-raising campaign chairperson. She has also been a member of the board of directors since 1999 and has served two terms as board president.

The mother of two has also mentored in the Aspire Program in the Henderson County school district, has volunteered for numerous projects at Holy Name School and currently serves as co-chair of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church's stewardship committee.

The banquet also gave the local United Way officers a chance to report the results of the 2004-05 campaign, which did not quite meet its goal of raising $891,500. It did take in a total of $878,895.

"Henderson is very fortunate to have the type of people that we have to give to these causes, and somewhere there is a pot of gold hidden to meet all these needs," said Bob Cummins, this year's campaign chairman.

Old National Bank won the president's award for companies employing four-24 people. It gave a total of $3,200, for a per capita gift of $152.

Independence Bank won the president's award for companies employing 25-99 people. It gave a total of $6,681, for a per capita gift of $257.

Henderson Community College won the president's award for companies employing 100-299 people. It gave a total of $18,300, for a per capita gift of $176.

Dana Corporation and USWA Local 9443 Unit 2 won the president's award for companies employing 300 or more people. It gave a total of $66,167, for a per capita gift of $174.

Audubon Metals ($17,162), Western Kentucky Energy and IBEW Local 1701 ($87,073) and Alcan and USWA Local 9443 Unit 2 ($100,053) won the campaign chair awards.

The business and industry division raised $630,126, the professional division raised $14,670, the commercial division raised $7,586 and the public service division raised $181,423. Special gifts were $23,789 and leadership gifts were $21,231.