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Photo credit: East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health, like many health systems, is facing a shortage of nursing professionals. To address the problem, EAH didn’t have to look far – just to their own employees.

The first 14 students at East Alabama Health’s new LPN program began their classes in August; they’ll graduate in August 2025 and become vital additions to the nursing workforce in eastern Alabama.

Classes are led by Chattahoochee Valley Community College instructors but plenty of the instruction is done on site. The students, who are all current EAH employees with at least one year of service, get paid while enrolled and will maintain their employment while they study. The collaboration is the first of its kind in the region.

“There is a critical need for more nurses throughout the health care industry, and with the rapid growth of our community, it was vitally important for us to identify ways to address this need,” said Susan Johnston, East Alabama Health’s vice president of Human Resources. “By investing in our employees through on-site training, we can meet this need head-on and better serve the needs of our community.”

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