Graham Health System Invests $250,000 in Spoon River College’s Macomb Campus
Funding Will Support Development of State-of-the-Art Nursing and Allied Health Learning Lab
Canton, IL — Graham Health System is investing $250,000 in Spoon River College’s new Macomb campus to support a shared vision for growing the region’s healthcare workforce. The investment will fund the development of the Spoon River College School of Nursing and Allied Health Learning Lab, reinforcing an academic partnership that creates a clear pathway from RN certification to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the Graham Hospital College of Nursing.
Through this collaborative effort, students will complete their general education and RN coursework through Spoon River College’s nursing program, then have the opportunity to transfer into the newly developed BSN program at Graham’s College of Nursing. This model supports affordability, accessibility, and long-term retention of healthcare professionals within Fulton, McDonough and Mason Counties – the shared service area of both institutions.
“This investment is about building a strong foundation for future caregivers,” said Bob Senneff, CEO of Graham Health System. “Together with Spoon River College, we’re creating an affordable, local path into nursing – one that allows students to stay close to home while preparing to serve their own communities. We were able to fund a $500,000 scholarship at SRC two years ago, and our plans are to continue to invest in the college, and in education throughout the region we both are blessed to call home. This partnership also addresses critical workforce needs across a wide range of healthcare fields, not just in nursing but also in areas such as laboratory sciences, imaging, and other allied health professions. By expanding educational opportunities and clinical training resources, the new Allied Health Learning Lab will help develop a broader pipeline of skilled professionals ready to meet the growing demands of today’s healthcare system.”
While the initial focus is on core healthcare programs, the Allied Health Learning Lab is designed to grow and adapt as the healthcare field evolves, with the potential to incorporate technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) in the future.
“This is exactly the kind of collaboration our region needs,” said Dr. Curt Oldfield, President of Spoon River College. “We’re grateful for Graham Health System’s support and proud to work alongside them to invest in students, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and adapt to emerging healthcare needs.”
At its core, this partnership is about more than education it’s about investing in people. By creating a strong local pipeline of healthcare professionals, Spoon River College and Graham Health System are building a healthier future for the region one student, one nurse, and one community at a time.
Graham Health System provides quality patient care in our hospital, located in Canton, Illinois and our 12 Medical Group Clinics serving patients throughout Central and Western Illinois, with operations in five counties: Fulton, Knox, Mason, McDonough and Peoria.
Spoon River College is a two-year, public community college in West Central Illinois dedicated to providing students a quality education. Spoon River College serves students in a 1,566 square mile area including portions of Fulton, McDonough, Mason, Schuyler and Knox counties.
Graham Health System is investing $250,000 in Spoon River College’s Macomb Campus to support development of a state-of-the-art Nursing and Allied Health Learning Lab. Pictured are Holly Norton, VP at SRC; Becky Sherwood, Director of Nursing at SRC; Michelle Daly, Senior VP of Clinic Operations at GHS; Wyatt Baxter, PA-C, Director of Advanced Practice Providers at GHS; Robert Senneff, CEO at GHS; Kevin Meade, SRC Board of Trustees; Dr. Curt Oldfield, President at SRC; Melissa Worley, SRC Foundation Board Treasurer; Glenda Bryan, SRC Foundation Board Secretary; Shelley Runyan, SRC Foundation Board member; Melissa Miller, Dean at SRC; and Dusty Berg, Foundation Director at SRC.