For more than 100 years, Delgado Community College has served the greater New Orleans region by providing education and career-oriented opportunities. In a partnership with Ochsner Health, the college will feature an evening and weekend track for pre-nursing and allied health, offering courses outside of regular business hours for adults who need flexibility. Classes will begin during the spring semester in the Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health building, slated to open on Delgado’s City Park campus in January.
The pre-nursing and allied health tracks prepare students who wish to apply for the registered nursing program and any of Delgado’s 29 allied health associate degree and certificate programs. It is one of three options rolled out for the upcoming spring semester in the Delgado Evening & Weekend Track (EWT). Students can choose EWT courses that meet face-to-face on Saturdays or in the evenings after normal business hours. They can also choose hybrid courses that offer face-to-face and online instruction, and fully online courses.
The expanded pre-nursing and allied health class offerings will be timed with the grand opening of the $44 million Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health, which will feature the Delgado Charity School of Nursing and most programs offered by the Division of Allied Health under one roof. Ochsner has committed $20 million for this center, including $10 million toward the new building. The remaining $10 million will be used to cover full-time tuition for Ochsner employees to pursue degrees and credentials in nursing and allied health programs at Delgado.
“Ochsner remains dedicated to filling the workforce development pipeline by partnering with higher education institutions like Delgado, and by remaining laser-focused on quality training for the next generation of healthcare workers,” said Tracey Schiro, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, Ochsner Health. “We are also excited to work with Delgado to invest in our own employees, offering them high-caliber education and wonderful opportunity to advance their careers in healthcare.”
“For many decades, Delgado Community College has provided outstanding education for students seeking to establish meaningful, rewarding careers as nurses and healthcare professionals,” said Larissa Littleton-Steib, chancellor, Delgado Community College. “The Charity School of Nursing, which will be housed in the new facility, is highly regarded in Louisiana and throughout the country for the caliber of LPN and RN nurses it produces. Delgado Allied Health Division is one of the largest producers of allied health professionals in the state. We are thrilled to work with Ochsner because we know the tremendous number of lives this partnership will transform.”
Designed by Manning Architects of New Orleans, the new building features 120,000 square feet of labs and modern classrooms. It will offer a simulated hospital and will have capacity for 1,500 students.
Delgado Community College produces 1,200 nursing and allied health professionals each year who remain in the New Orleans metropolitan area and enhance the healthcare workforce.
Charity School of Nursing, established in 1894 and part of Delgado since 1990, currently enrolls 800 students annually in RN and LPN programs, and has outgrown its original building downtown.
Delgado Allied Health graduates approximately 400 students per year. It offers 29 different healthcare certificate and associate degree programs, including non-credit programs. Most of the Allied Health Division is currently on the City Park Campus, along with the downtown campus.