CUMBERLAND MEDICAL CENTER MAKES $50K PLEDGE
TO TTU NURSING SCHOOL

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (September 17, 2002) – Cumberland Medical Center has pledged $50,000 to support Tennessee Technological University's School of Nursing.

The money will be used to help the school fund a new building on the Cookeville campus to support growth in the Nursing program.

"Having a high quality, well-trained pool of nurses available to work at our hospital is an important issue to us," said Jim McMackin, CMC president/CEO.

McMackin and J.W. Brown, chairman of the CMC Board of Directors, met recently with TTU President Bob Bell and Nursing Dean Marilyn Musacchio to donate the first $10,000 of the pledge. The goal is ultimately to encourage more students from Cumberland County to enroll in the TTU program and return to work at the Crossville facility, McMackin said.

TTU's Nursing program is the largest provider of baccalaureate-level nurses in the Upper Cumberland Region. It currently graduates between 35 and 40 nurses a year. Its goal is to double that number.

Several TTU students have taken advantage of a CMC "externship" program which allows them to gain hands-on experience while providing the medical center a chance to attract qualified students who are preparing to graduate. According to Musacchio, about 79 percent of the TTU Nursing graduates remain in the Upper Cumberland area.

"We're honored to have Cumberland Medical Center as a partner in this project," said Musacchio. "This gift is significant in many ways. Beyond helping us meet our critical funding needs, it reinforces the strong relationship we share in the medical community of this region. I look forward to working with CMC for many years to come."

Cumberland Medical Center is a growing facility dedicated to serving its community and its healthcare needs. It features an ever-increasing active medical staff of 65 physicians in the following specialties: anesthesiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, family practice, gynecology, internal medicine, medical oncology, neurology, obstetrics, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, radiation oncology, radiology, surgery, rheumatology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, and urology.

--Monica Greppin

This information posted 20 September 2002