RESEDA, Calif., July 29 /EMWNews/ -- The Los Angeles Jewish Home's

prestigious new Annenberg School of Nursing is now accepting applications

as it enters its second session as one of the only U.S. multi-level

senior-living facilities with its own school of nursing.



    The Annenberg School of Nursing offers a full-time program that aims to

prepare students to pass the state-required exam for licensure. The

intensive vocational nursing program engages students 40 hours per week in

the classroom or at clinical sites, plus daily reading assignments. All

students received 500 hours of classroom instruction and 980 hours of

clinical training at local hospitals.



    Classes for the next term will begin September 2008. During the

12-month program, students work with patients of all ages ranging from

infants and prenatal to geriatric.



    One attractive feature of the program is financial incentives for its

students. The total cost to educate each student in the program is $19,000.

Through generous gifts received from the Annenberg Foundation, UniHealth

Foundation, and private donors, students receive a $10,000 tuition

scholarship, which is forgiven if they take a nursing job at the Home upon

graduation and stay for at least two years. Also available is no-interest

loan assistance through the L.A. Jewish Free Loan Program, sponsored in

part by Jewish Home donors Saul and Joyce Brandman.



    The nation's nursing shortage is particularly acute in California.

According to the California Economic Development Department, the state is

expected to be short more than 100,000 registered nurses and 25,000

licensed vocational nurses by 2010.



    "This is a very special opportunity for those in the community that

seek a special form of employment that guarantees they will have a

wonderful career," said Molly Forrest, CEO/president of the Home.

"Virtually all of our students can step up after they graduate and start

work. And not just work, but a rewarding and enriching role awaits them."



    Healthcare providers throughout the country are faced with the

challenge of making sure well-trained nurses are on hand for an

increasingly aging population. Heading the school is Marie Fagan, former

director of nursing at American Career College and Casa Loma College.

"There's an acute nursing shortage out there," she said. "There are also

few job categories that so desperately need qualified applicants. This is

an amazing program for those looking to establish a bright future for

themselves while helping others."



    Further information is available by contacting Cindy Thomas at

818-757-4431 or [email protected].



    Established in 1989 by Walter H. Annenberg, the Annenberg Foundation

provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United

States and globally through its headquarters in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and

offices in Los Angeles, California. Its major program areas are education

and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic, community and

the environment; and health and human services. In addition, the Foundation

operates a number of initiatives, which expand and complement these program

areas. The Annenberg Foundation exists to advance the public well-being

through improved communication. As the principal means of achieving this

goal, the Foundation encourages the development of more effective ways to

share ideas and knowledge.



    The Jewish Home's Annenberg School of Nursing is also supported by a

grant from the UniHealth Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropic organization

whose mission is to support and facilitate activities that significantly

improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities within its

service area.



    Founded in 1912, the world-renowned Los Angeles Jewish Home is one of

the foremost multi-level senior-living communities in the United States and

the largest single-source provider of senior housing in Los Angeles. In

total, the Home annually serves more than 2,000 seniors through its

extraordinary continuum of services. Each year, more than 1,500 women and

men are cared for in-residence on two village campuses, with services

including independent- living "Neighborhood Home" accommodations,

residential care, skilled nursing care, acute psychiatric care, Alzheimer's

disease and dementia care, and end- of-life care. Another 500 seniors are

served through the Home's community- based programs, which includes

Skirball Hospice and community clinics. The Home is a nonprofit

organization that relies upon donations from individuals, corporations and

foundations to continue its remarkable work. Further information regarding

the Home can be found online at http://www.jha.org or by calling 818-757-4407.