“The four pillars: health research, nutrition and integration, doctor of nursing education along with emergency nurse practitioner training will position the High Plains Christian Ministries of Health Institute as a catalyst for improving healthcare across our region and our state and serve as a model for other communities to do the same.” – Holly Jeffreys, Dean of WT Nursing & Health Sciences Program
A gift of $5 million from High Plains Christian Ministries Foundation (HPCMF) has advanced the total raised in the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign by West Texas A&M University (WT) to nearly $195 million, according to Cheryl Fairly, co-chair of the campaign leadership committee.
The pledge of funds, to be contributed over the next five years, will go toward establishing WT’s new High Plains Christian Ministries Health Institute and was announced Thursday, March 12 to encourage community engagement, research, nutrition and advanced nursing education.
The foundation’s gift will provide $2.5 million in program support, $1.25 million in a student scholarship endowment, and $1.25 million in a health research endowment, according to WT.
The enthusiastic crowd at the Harrington Academic Hall in Amarillo included members of the One West committees, members of the WT Foundation of Directors and members of various advisory boards from across the campus, staff, faculty and students.
Largest and most ambitious fundraising event undertaken in Texas
“Today’s announcement of a $5 million gift, as part of the One West Fundraising campaign, will fuel the vision cast in the long run,” Fairly said, noting the campaign is winding down as they approach a celebration planned in April. “I think we can all agree it has been a phenomenal success and far exceeded our expectations.”
Fairly said that when the campaign was started, the goal was $125 million, which was reached in only 18 months. Then, when they announced a new goal to raise $175 million by the campaign’s end, they exceeded that goal as well.
“The One West campaign represents the largest and most ambitious fundraising efforts ever undertaken across the Texas region,” she said. “The campaign allows donors to give to areas about which they are most compassionate and has three funding priorities: people, programs and places to advance the educational experience and environment for teaching, learning and living.”
WT president calls gift transformative, remarkable
“Today, once again, that transformative spirit of generosity, this legacy of largesse from HPCMF towards the WT as we seek our mission to address the aspirations of people in the Texas Panhandle, is remarkable and transformative,” WT President Dr. Walter Wendler said.
Wendler added that the gift will help build a positive economic future for the region and state. “One floor up (in the Harrington Building) is a gift that helped renovate that core area and make them more accessible to more nursing students,” he said.
In 2021, HPCMF donated $3 million, its largest gift until now, which funded the Baptist Community Services Nursing Education floor in the Harrington Academic Hall at the WTAMU Amarillo Center.
During the One West campaign, the foundation also made a $1.5 million gift in 2022 to fund renovations of WT’s historic Joseph A. Hill Memorial Chapel.
Dean emphasizes training to help smaller communities
Holly Jeffreys, Dean of the WT College of Nursing & Health Sciences, said the $5 million donation will help with establishing more health care for rural communities to ensure they have more assistance for mental health, chronic care, nutrition needs and holistic care in their communities without having to travel long distances.
Jeffreys addressed the underserved communities across the Texas Panhandle: “It will face the challenges related to rural healthcare including access, chronic disease, mental health, agricultural health risk, chronic disease and workforce shortages.”
She said that through the health institute, faculty, clinicians and students can work together to not only identify the problems, but the solutions.
“Nutrition is one of the most powerful, yet probably often underutilized tools for improving health throughout individuals and communities,” she said. “Through our inter-disciplinary education, students, health sciences and related programs will gain a deeper understanding of how nutrition, lifestyle, and preventative care influences long term health.”
WT said the institute, which officially was approved by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents at its February meeting, will encompass four focus areas:
WT is currently seeking approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the DNP program, which the university said would be the first of its kind in the region.
The DNP program will prepare nurse leaders to serve at the highest level of healthcare delivery, and the ENP certification will help ensure outlying communities have access to skilled emergency providers when they’re needed most.
The ENP program will be “designed to specifically prepare advanced practice nurses to respond to urgent and emergency health care needs in many of our rural areas,” Jeffreys said. These nurses serve as critical assets to emergency departments and hospitals, who depend on highly trained nurse practitioners to provide rapid, high-quality care, she added.
“The four pillars: health research, nutrition and integration, doctor nursing education along with emergency nurse practitioner training will position the High Plains Christian Ministries Health Institute as a catalyst for improving healthcare across our region and our state and serve as a model for other communities to do the same,” she said.
Dalrymple envisions WT Nursing to become a leader in education, training
The HPCMF is a part of the Baptist Community Services organizational family and supports the senior adult services and community wellness programs of BCS, including Park Central and the Snack Pak 4 Kids weekend food insecurity program.
Steve Dalrymple, HPCMF president, CEO and chief legal officer, said that he was confident that WTAMU would build on the current excellence and expand healthcare services in West Texas with access to healthcare in a holistic manner for many years to come.
“We know the university will make the college of nursing and health education a leader in educating and training the next generation of healthcare providers, all of whom we greatly and desperately need,” Dalrymple said. “They will be the new providers who will be innovatively trained and able to treat and improve the wellness of the whole person, physically and mentally … the huge need we have in our region.”
“A lot of the counties in the region are underserved and we need to turn out more nurse practitioners that have the skills and training to be able to provide services in the region,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WTAMU receives $5 million gift for new health institute
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
