Governor's Press Conference Highlights Successful LINE Program with Daytona State College and Halifax Health

Daytona Beach, FL – (September 3, 2024) Halifax Health, Daytona State College, and Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the LINE program (Linking Industry to Nursing Education), an initiative developed to foster collaboration between nursing education programs and healthcare providers to combat the growing nursing shortage in Florida.

Halifax Health has had a longstanding partnership with Daytona State College, and this collaboration has been significantly strengthened through the LINE program. Since 2022, Halifax Health has contributed $1.5 million in collaboration with Daytona State College and the Florida State Legislature to support the LINE grants. This builds on the $800,000 Halifax Health has invested in nursing education since 2018, totaling $3 million in support of Daytona State College’s nursing programs.

In September 2022, Daytona State College approached Halifax Health with an opportunity to partner through the LINE grant, which offers matching funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis to enhance nursing education. Halifax Health quickly committed $900,000 to establish a permanent endowment with the Daytona State College Foundation, aimed at supporting an additional nursing education specialist and expanding capacity to serve more students in completing their NCLEX exams. An additional $100,000 was designated to provide test preparation software for all nursing students.

"We immediately said yes when Daytona State College approached us about the LINE grant opportunity in September 2022," said Jeff Feasel, President and CEO of Halifax Health. "It was an easy decision because we need nurses. Our partnership with Daytona State College allows us to assist in the education and training of more nurses, which is essential for us as we continue to grow and hire more nurses to support our community. Since 2018, Halifax Health has invested $3 million in support of Daytona State College nursing programs. This partnership is crucial for our mission to be the community healthcare leader, delivering exceptional talent and superior patient-centered services."

The LINE grant has enabled Halifax Health to support various initiatives, including a $500,000 grant in March 2024 to recruit faculty and clinical preceptors, increase the capacity of high-quality nursing education programs, and boost the number of nursing graduates prepared to enter the workforce. In 2019, Halifax Health also partnered with Daytona State College to form a $500,000 Education-to-Employment Scholarship Fund, which helps students pursue careers in health-related disciplines, including nursing, radiology, and medical coding.

Daytona State College second year nursing student and Halifax Health Team Member, Alexis Shay, spoke at the event and recounted her employment at Halifax Health for over three years in combination with LINE program giving her the opportunity to work with pediatric patients and more. According to Shay, “ever since I was little, I wanted to be nurse and today, I am living my dream.”

In addition to financial contributions, Halifax Health established a formal Student Nursing Internship Program, allowing nursing students to work in paid positions during their schooling. This initiative ensures that senior nursing students receive comprehensive training, even when other hospitals paused their clinical rotations. The program has had remarkable success, with participating students achieving a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX.

Since 2022, and with the support of the LINE grant, approximately 200 Student Nurse Graduate interns have transitioned into RN Resident positions within Halifax Health, with another 222 nursing graduates joining the healthcare system. The majority of these graduates hail from Daytona State College, and they fill critical roles in various specialties, including intensive care, medical-surgical units, emergency departments, hospice, oncology, and surgical services, helping to meet the healthcare needs of the community.

Halifax Health and Daytona State College continue to grow together, expanding their programs and facilities to address the evolving healthcare landscape. Daytona State College recently expanded its nursing and other programs at its new educational facility in Deltona, complementing Halifax Health’s expanded hospital network, including new standalone emergency departments set to open in the coming year.

About Halifax Health:

Recognized as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ in the United States by IBM Watson Health™, Halifax Health serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a continuum of health care services through a network of organizations including a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, an urgent care network, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment center with five outreach locations, the area’s largest hospice, a center for inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, primary care walk-in clinics, a clinic specializing in women’s health, a pediatric care community organization. Halifax Health offers the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, Center for Transplant Services, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Emergency Department with board-certified pediatricians on staff 24/7, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, OB Emergency Department and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born earlier than 28 weeks. It’s also the area’s longest-standing Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) offering complete stroke care.