Nurses at Baptist Hospital will soon feel the effects of the largest grant in the hospital’s history. More than 9 million dollars from the Baptist Healing Trust have been earmarked for the nursing staff.
Hospital spokeswoman Kristi Gooden says the gift is especially important in light of the current nursing shortage. She says the money will go into recruiting and retention efforts, compensation for nurses who go beyond the call of duty, and generally making sure the hospital is one where nurses want to work.
“We wanna make sure that we’ve got a strong nursing staff and part of that includes making sure that we’ve got the best experience for them, making sure that we can go ahead and promote their profession here at the hospital, work to make sure that they’ve got the best ability to care for their patients at the bedside, and that they’ve got the best experience.”
The Baptist Healing Trust was formed in 2002 with proceeds from the sale of Baptist Hospital to Saint Thomas Health Services. While it is an independent entity, the trust has maintained a relationship with Baptist Hospital, giving the facility 29-million dollars to date.
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