Orlando Health Partners with Seminole State College to Expand Preferred Education Program

Orlando, FL (August 18, 2021) – Orlando Health is launching a new partnership with Seminole State College of Florida to expand its Preferred Education Program (PEP) and create more opportunities for Orlando Health team members to pursue an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or technical certificate.

Full-time and part-time team members at Orlando Health looking to gain more education will be able to take classes at Seminole State College without incurring any out-of-pocket costs. A new feature to PEP is the removal of the annual $5,000 cap, meaning that Orlando Health will pay 100 percent of the cost of tuition and books directly to the college.

“Our team members are a top priority at Orlando Health and we are thrilled to partner with Seminole State College to continue offering them more options and convenient locations for higher education,” says Joy Sylvester, assistant vice president of human resources for Orlando Health. “This new expansion of our program removes all financial barriers to ensure that any team member who wants to go back to school can do so without worry.”

“We are excited to partner with Orlando Health as a Preferred Education Partner in Central Florida,” says Kate Henry, vice president of marketing and strategic communications for Seminole State College. “With over 200 degrees and programs, in-person, online and hybrid classes, caring staff, professors with master's and doctoral degrees, and four convenient locations, Seminole State looks forward to providing the best educational opportunities to Orlando Health team members.”

Orlando Health team members will be able to register immediately and begin taking courses at Seminole State College this fall. The newly expanded PEP, which is administered by Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions, offers an opportunity for team members to pursue an associate degree, bachelor’s degree or technical certificate at either Seminole State College or Valencia College in many programs including nursing, diagnostic medical sonography, respiratory care, physical therapy, emergency medical technology, health services administration, health sciences, information technology, business, construction, hospitality, and more. Team members will also be able to receive one-on-one support from Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions academic coaches, and the college’s student affairs and advising staff, who will help guide them through every step of their academic journey.

“We’ve had a great relationship with Seminole State College for a very long time,” says Shawn Molsberger, president of Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital. “This partnership with the college is a natural extension of that relationship and a commitment to offer our team members, many of whom live in Seminole County, greater opportunities for growth.”

Orlando Health first launched the Preferred Education Program in December 2020 in partnership with Valencia College. Flexible online courses at Seminole State College and Valencia College will make it easier for team members to balance career, personal life and learning at a pace that works for them regardless of where they work at Orlando Health.

About Orlando Health

Orlando Health, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, is a private, not-for-profit healthcare organization with $7.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States.

Founded more than 100 years ago, the healthcare system is recognized around the world for its pediatric and adult Level One Trauma program as well as the only state-accredited Level Two Adult Trauma Center in the St Petersburg region. It is the home of the nation’s largest neonatal intensive care unit under one roof, the only system in the southeast to offer open fetal surgery to repair the most severe forms of spina bifida, the site of an Olympic athlete training facility and operator of one of the largest and highest performing clinically integrated networks in the region. Orlando Health is a statutory teaching system that pioneers life-changing medical research. The 3,200-bed system includes 15 wholly-owned hospitals and emergency departments; rehabilitation services, cancer and heart institutes, imaging and laboratory services, wound care centers, physician offices for adults and pediatrics, skilled nursing facilities, an in-patient behavioral health facility, home healthcare services in partnership with LHC Group, and urgent care centers in partnership with CareSpot Urgent Care. Nearly 4,200 physicians, representing more than 80 medical specialties and subspecialties have privileges across the Orlando Health system, which employs nearly 22,000 team members. In FY20, Orlando Health served nearly 150,000 inpatients and nearly 3.1 million outpatients. During that same time period, Orlando Health provided approximately $760 million in total value to the communities it serves in the form of charity care, community benefit programs and services, community building activities and more. Additional information can be found at http://www.orlandohealth.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @orlandohealth.

About Seminole State College of Florida

Seminole State College of Florida, established in 1965, serves nearly 30,000 students across six sites in Central Florida. A comprehensive college, Seminole State has awarded more than 100,000 credentials, from bachelor's degrees to high school diplomas, and offers more than 200 degrees, certificates and programs designed for success. For more about the college, visit seminolestate.edu and get social with us

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