BVU, Story County Medical Center Connect Via Strategic Partnership
Through a Strategic Partnership with Buena Vista University, Story County Medical Center offers educational benefits to its employees and their eligible family members.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and Story County Medical Center have joined forces as Strategic Partners to help strengthen their communities and the region.
This partnership allows for employees of Story County Medical Center, as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost of education while enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus. Partner grant funding also lowers the cost per credit hour for students enrolled in BVU’s convenient online/hybrid undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.
“Sometimes the smaller facilities—county hospitals—don’t get all the resources that large health care systems would have, so this is a great opportunity to provide employees that live both in rural and urban settings the opportunity to access development opportunities so we can continue to improve our workforce skills. The partnership and grant funding also gives the opportunity for family members to have their foot in the door for education,” says Story County Medical Center Vice President of Human Resources and Education Susan Schrader. “Every little bit helps.”
“Sometimes the smaller facilities—county hospitals—don’t get all the resources that large health care systems would have, so this is a great opportunity to provide employees that live both in rural and urban settings the opportunity to access development opportunities so we can continue to improve our workforce skills. The partnership and grant funding also gives the opportunity for family members to have their foot in the door for education.”
Story County Medical Center Vice President of Human Resources and Education Susan Schrader
Story County Medical Center, which has a workforce numbering more than 315 people, is based in Nevada. The health care system, which is committed to delivering excellence by “listening to, partnering with, and caring for the communities of Story County—one person, one experience, one story at a time,” is a 17-bed critical access hospital and an affiliate with UnityPoint Health—Des Moines.
“From our perspective, one of the things we’ve heard from our employees is that they want to develop—they want those opportunities—so we have really sought out opportunities to provide that both in-house as well as through partnerships with schools like Buena Vista University,” says Schrader.
Story County Medical Center offers a variety of inpatient and skilled services, including an outpatient surgery center, emergency room, radiology and laboratory departments, cardiac rehabilitation, and wellness services. Since opening in 1909, the health care provider has grown to include family practice clinics in Ames, Maxwell, and Nevada.
“Buena Vista University is eager to partner with Story County Medical Center,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “Providing educational benefits to enhance the skills of the devoted caregivers of Story County Medical Center, as well as their family members, will further strengthen and transform the communities we serve.”
For more information about BVU’s Strategic Partnerships and partner opportunities, please visit the BVU website at bvu.edu/strategic-partnerships or contact Strategic Partnerships at StrategicPartnerships@bvu.edu.