Delgado to Open New Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health, Featuring Evening and Weekend Classes

NEW ORLEANS, La. – For over 100 years, Delgado Community College has served the greater New Orleans region by providing education and career-oriented opportunities. Now, thanks to 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 state-of-the-art Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health building, slated to open on Delgado’s City Park campus in January.

The partnership between Ochsner Health and Delgado is key to the collaborative Healthy State by 2030 initiative, an ambitious, ten-year plan to lift Louisiana off the bottom of national health rankings. Delgado meets critical workforce demands while providing opportunities for locals to thrive in high-wage careers.

The Pre-Nursing and Allied Health Track prepares students 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.

Such investments are critical, as healthcare workforce challenges have grown in recent years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor projects more than 1.1 million new nurses alone will be needed by 2030.

“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. It’s the largest educator of nurses and allied health professionals in Louisiana.

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.

Through Healthy State, the partnership with Delgado also marks the expansion of Ochsner Scholars, a program that offers tuition for students who choose to practice medicine or become employed in Louisiana with Ochsner. In partnership with Delgado and the Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges, Ochsner will support tuition and workforce programs, like MA to LPN, surgical tech, lab tech and LPN to RN training programs. Ochsner Scholars is on track to positively impact more than 3,000 students, including Ochsner employees, by 2025.

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About Delgado Community College and Delgado Charity School of Nursing

Delgado Community College is celebrating 100 years of service to the New Orleans region. The oldest and largest community college in Louisiana, Delgado provides instruction online and at seven locations. Delgado offers students the most comprehensive array of education and training services available in the New Orleans region. Additionally, Delgado has articulation agreements with most of the state’s four-year colleges and universities that allow students to transfer their Delgado credits to bachelor’s degree programs. As well as offering degrees and transferable college credits, Delgado provides diplomas and certificates in many professional and technical areas. Workforce development is a priority at Delgado, hence the college’s well-known motto: “Education that works!”

Delgado Charity School of Nursing, established in 1894, has been a Delgado division since 1990. The school offers an associate degree for Registered Nurses as well as a Practical Nursing certificate program and Certified Nursing Assistant training. Delgado Charity School of Nursing is the #1 Best Value among all nursing schools in Louisiana, according to a 2022 study by Nursing Explorer. The online resource College Factual ranks the Delgado Charity School of Nursing as the #1 Associate Degree in Nursing program in Louisiana.

About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 36,000 employees and over 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 47 hospitals and more than 300 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit https://www.ochsner.org/.