Pete’s Perspective: Collaboration Opening Doors of Opportunity for Generations

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

As Salinas Valley Health celebrates its seventieth anniversary this year, we also celebrate a partnership with Hartnell College that dates back to our earliest days. We opened our doors to the community in 1953. Hartnell’s Vocational Nurse (VN) program began in 1954. Its RN program started in 1964 and others have followed. We have welcomed Hartnell students for hands-on training throughout that time, including during the pandemic when many other hospitals and medical centers suspended student training.

The recent unveiling of the Hartnell College Center for Nursing & Health Sciences in Partnership with Salinas Valley Health is a tribute to this invaluable collaboration. It has benefited our patients, our team of 2,000-plus staff and our overall community.

Hartnell has prepared thousands of local students for careers in healthcare and – through our longstanding relationship – opened doors of opportunity for generations of local families. Our joint work has also met a vital need in providing well-qualified nursing staff – nurses who are familiar with the health concerns of our culturally diverse community.

Our medical center earned Magnet® recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2021. Considered the gold standard of nursing, Magnet designation is achieved by fewer than 10% of hospitals and medical centers nationwide. Its focus on professional governance supports inter-professional collaboration, shared decision-making and innovation. It ensures the highest quality care delivered by nurses supported to be the very best they can be.

We are honored to introduce future healthcare leaders from Hartnell to our exemplary culture of quality care and outstanding teamwork. Salinas Valley Health nursing rotation programs train approximately 150 of these students each year.

Hartnell’s Center for Nursing & Health Sciences in Partnership with Salinas Valley Health provides local students expanded opportunities for affordable nursing and health sciences education, training and employment options. It signifies that we are one community dedicated to preparing students for successful careers in the healthcare industry.

The Center for Nursing & Health Sciences, with its leading-edge classrooms, skills labs and simulation rooms, provides a comprehensive learning setting for Hartnell students. The hands-on training through our medical center rounds out their education with real-world experience.

We are fortunate to have benefitted from this partnership in excellence for seven decades. The recent unveiling of this exceptional resource at Hartnell College stands as a tangible testament to the power of collaboration for the benefit of our community.

Be safe and be well.

-Pete