Desert Care Network & Tenet Healthcare Foundation Present $1.8 Million Donation to Expand Nurse Training at College of the Desert

OneFuture Coachella Valley will administer the donation to support college staff and nursing students through scholarships, mentorships and other assistance

Coalition of employers and educators has formed to address a shortage in healthcare professionals by expanding training options for local students

Palm Desert CA – Desert Care Network and the Tenet Healthcare Foundation are supporting the expansion of nurse training in the Coachella Valley with a $1.8 million grant to OneFuture Coachella Valley which will support an additional 70 students in the College of the Desert Nursing Program -- doubling the size of the 2024-25 class.

“We are excited to support the rapid expansion of the high-quality nursing program at College of the Desert,” said Michele Finney, CEO for Desert Care Network and Desert Regional Medical Center. “Some of our best and longest-serving nurses came through local programs. These nurses have a special commitment to the community where they grew up, and we need them in our local hospitals.”

Desert Care Network is part of OneFuture Coachella Valley’s Healthcare Workforce Roundtable, a group of healthcare industry leaders that formed to create a local response to the nationwide shortage of nursing and healthcare professionals. Desert Care Network’s $1.8 million donation is part of a total $2.9 million commitment to College of the Desert’s nursing program by Roundtable members.

Desert Care Network’s donation will support additional staff and laboratory resources. More importantly, it will provide scholarships and non-academic financial support – including housing, transportation and food -- so local students can successfully complete their training as nurses.

“Removing barriers for local students is critical to building a compassionate and responsive local workforce,” said Sheila Thornton, CEO of OneFuture Coachella Valley. “Often it is not just the tuition that is the barrier, but other factors such as housing or transportation. Removing those barriers can help a student graduate on time and start their careers as nurses caring for patients in our hospitals and healthcare centers.”

Having the support of an industry-led coalition like the Roundtable was vital to jumpstart the expansion of seats in College of the Desert’s nursing program.

"We are honored and grateful to be chosen as a trusted partner in the endeavor to head off Coachella Valley's looming healthcare workforce shortage," said Interim Superintendent/President Laura Hope. "In addition to adding more qualified employees to the healthcare workforce, we get to change the trajectory of more students' lives. Additionally, when our students benefit, many of whom will become first-generation college graduates, the entire community benefits."