Indianapolis, Ind.—Banner Health has joined forces with The College Network, Inc. to offer educational opportunities for nurses. Banner Health is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health care systems with almost 29,000 employees providing health care services in communities throughout seven western states.

The College Network is committed to creating accessible and affordable quality education for busy adults. Banner Health is teaming up with The College Network to help their workforce–nurses in particular–to enhance their skills through education. Better educated health care providers enhance patient care, which helps Banner Health fulfill it’s nonprofit mission of providing excellent patient care to the communities it serves.

“Innovative partnerships like the one with The College Network allow Banner Health to provide additional opportunities for nurses to obtain a high-quality education,” said Sherrie Beardsley, director, Banner Center for Health Careers/Clinical Student Programs. “This program helps to fill that need, to the benefit of patients in Banner hospitals.”

The College Network is passionate about nursing education. Through unique educational offerings in health care from top-ranked partner universities, The College Network provides degree program solutions for busy nurses. The College Network values the role it plays in helping health care organizations positively impact the quality of patient care through better educated nurses. The College Network also partners with the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration (NADONA) and the National League for Nursing (NLN).

“The College Network is pleased to partner with Banner Health and provide their employees with the means to continue their education and make a positive impact in the communities they serve,” said Gary Eyler, Chairman and CEO of The College Network. “We are dedicated to making educational solutions affordable and accessible—helping nurses to ensure the well being of their careers and profession. It’s The College Network’s way of making a difference.”

The College Network partners with several of the nation’s foremost institutions of higher learning, such as The George Washington University, Indiana State University, Regis University, Bellevue University, and Indiana University to provide college degree programs to working adults through distance learning.

The College Network offers a total learning solution which includes:

• Prestigious Accredited University Partners
• No Classroom Attendance
• Personalized Academic Support (Fifteen hours per day, Monday – Friday)
• Asynchronous Distance-learning Format
• Alliance for nursing education with the National League for Nursing and NADONA
• Guaranteed Academic Success for the TCN portion of the program
• Guaranteed Financing, including exam fees, for the TCN portion of the program

About The College Network, Inc.
Since 1992, The College Network has provided educational solutions that enable working adults to enjoy the pride, prestige, and earning power that result from obtaining college degrees and professional certificates from highly acclaimed universities. As one of the nation’s leading educational services companies and a partner with several of the nation’s foremost institutions of higher learning, TCN has helped over 150,000 adults advance their education while balancing their personal and professional lives. Visit www.college-net.com or call 1-800-39-LEARN (395-3276) for more information.

For further information please contact:
Emily Huntzinger
The College Network
800-395-3276
ehuntzinger@college-net.com

About Banner Health
Banner Health is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems with 20 hospitals in seven western states, employing a dedicated workforce of almost 29,000. From Alaska to Arizona, medical professionals fulfill the company’s mission of providing excellent patient care to thousands of people in need through hospital care, home care, hospice care, long-term care, nursing registries, surgery centers, laboratories and rehabilitation services. In addition to basic emergency and medical services, Banner Health offers a variety of specialized services, from heart and cancer care to high-order multiple births and organ transplants, as well as Level 1 trauma services, rehabilitation services and behavioral health services. Banner is also involved in cutting-edge research aimed at helping patients suffering from some of the most serious diseases and conditions, including spinal cord injuries and Alzheimer’s disease. Banner Health is the leading nonprofit provider of hospital services in all the communities the company serves