Phoebe’s innovative partnership with Albany Technical College (ATC) to combat the nursing shortage and increase the number of healthcare professionals in southwest Georgia is now open.  Hundreds of Phoebe and ATC leaders, elected officials, students, and community members attended a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Phoebe Living & Learning Community Tuesday evening.

“Our Living & Learning Community will have a significant and lasting impact on this part of Georgia.  It will allow more south Georgians to pursue rewarding careers in healthcare, and it will help ensure we have the healthcare workforce we need to care for the people who call this great region home.  We are excited to welcome so many people from the community to see this amazing facility for themselves,” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System President & CEO.

The 130,000 square-foot building on Phoebe’s main campus is the centerpiece of the health system’s bold workforce development initiatives, and it represents a nearly $47 million dollar investment in training the healthcare workers of tomorrow.

“Just a few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine a health system making this kind of investment in education, but the critical nationwide nursing shortage is getting worse and requires audacious action,” Steiner said.  “When then-Albany Tech President Dr. Anthony Parker and I began to discuss ways Phoebe and the college could expand our partnership to educate more nurses, he said, ‘We have to go big.’  And that’s what we’ve done with the Living & Learning Community.”

The first floor of the building is the new home of ATC’s nursing program and includes 50,000 square feet of high-tech learning and office space.  The second and third floors include 80 furnished apartments so students can live where they learn and train. 

“This facility is unique in the Technical College System of Georgia, and we believe it is a model that can be replicated around the state,” said Albany Technical College President Emmett Griswold, EdD.  “We are thrilled to have a partner like Phoebe willing to invest in the future of southwest Georgia by helping us graduate more students and prepare them for meaningful, successful and well-paying jobs here in our region,” he added.

The Living & Learning Community, along with other Phoebe investments that helped ATC hire additional instructors, allowed the college to increase the size of its nursing program and expand the pipeline of healthcare professionals in southwest Georgia, boosting the region’s economy and ensuring there will be enough workers to meet the area’s healthcare needs for many years. 

“Phoebe’s partnership with Albany Technical College represents the power of collaboration in addressing critical workforce needs,” said Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier.  “By investing in this innovative Living & Learning Community, we’re not only helping to combat the nursing shortage, but we are also creating new pathways for aspiring healthcare professionals right here in southwest Georgia.  This initiative will have a lasting impact on our communities, ensuring they have the skilled care they need for generations to come.”  

The Living & Learning Community Project was recently honored by the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) – the largest regional economic development association in North America, representing 17 states – with its Excellence in Economic Development Award among communities with populations of 40,001 – 100,000.  The SEDC praised the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission, as well as city and county officials, for their support of the project. 

In a news release about the award, the SEDC wrote, “(the Living & Learning Community) symbolizes resilience, foresight, and a determination to transform challenges into opportunities.  Albany-Dougherty County’s unwavering spirit of cooperation and innovation shines brightly, positioning it as a model for communities nationwide.” 

Phoebe broke ground on the Living & Learning Community in January 2023 on the site of a former public school directly across the street from its flagship hospital.  Many original fixtures and design elements from the school, which opened as Albany High School in 1925, were included in the new construction, and the main entrance recreates the original façade of the former school. 

“Generations of Albany students were educated in that school, and we are proud to continue that legacy of learning on the site.  We believe we have honored that history while building a better future and creating a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility,” said Phoebe Vice President for Education Tracy Suber, EdD.   

The Living & Learning Community has already spurred growth in ATC’s healthcare programs.  Two years ago, 233 students were enrolled in the programs now housed in the Living & Learning Community (nursing, practical nursing, nurse aide and phlebotomy).  This fall, 395 students are enrolled in those programs. 

“In just two years, we have seen a 68% increase in enrollment in the programs that will be headquartered in the Living & Learning Community, and that’s just the beginning,” Dr. Griswold said.  “We are on a path of sustained growth, and we want everyone interested in a nursing career to know that Albany Technical College and Phoebe have a place for you in the Living & Learning Community.”