Penn State Health St. Joseph to receive $425,000 gift
John Langan and his wife Judith Nadell of Voorhees, N.J., have made a gift of $425,000 to Penn State Health St. Joseph to establish a Nursing Simulation Lab and provide funding for nursing education on St. Joseph’s Downtown Reading campus. The gift will create the “John Langan and Judith Nadell Nursing Enhancement Fund.”
The Simulation Lab will provide a learning environment that mimics real clinical scenarios through the use of electronic mannequin and clinical program applications. These simulation mannequins cover the age span of nursing care required from newborn to adult. A variety of clinical needs such as a patient experiencing stroke symptoms, a patient having chest pain or even a women in labor can be simulated for the nurses to have hands on learning. This form of simulation also strengthens critical thinking skills, decision making, and confidence by the nurse to apply in their daily practice. The Nursing Simulation Lab will be a training environment for nurses to augment clinical skills that improve patient outcomes, enhance clinical competence, and increase teamwork leading to interdisciplinary collaboration among the St. Joseph nursing staff.
The Lab will be located in the Langan Allied Health Academy in the lower level of Penn State Health St. Joseph’s Downtown Campus, at 6th and Walnut streets, which was founded with a $1 million donation from the Langan’s in 2005.
In partnership with Penn State Berks, the Lab will also provide clinical simulations to Penn State Berks practical nursing students that offer interactive, practice-based instruction. It is scheduled to open for its first cohort of practical nursing students in August 2019.
“St. Joseph’s Downtown Reading campus is focused on the clinical health and economic vibrancy of the City of Reading,” explained President John R. Morahan. “And increasingly, in partnership with Penn State Berks, it’s becoming both a clinical training hub for future healthcare workers, as well as an incubator to encourage the economic entrepreneurial spirits of area students.”
The funding will also be used to create the “Mae Langan Nursing Awards,” in honor of John Langan’s mother, a 1934 graduate of St. Joseph’s former school of nursing. The award will be presented annually in May over the next five years.
This year 10 Registered Nurses will be awarded $2,500 each to be used to enhance their clinical specialty. These Registered Nurses’ applications are reviewed and approved by the Nursing Administrative Council.
The Langan Allied Health Academy was established with a $1 million donation in 2005 in memory of John’s parents, Martin and Mae Langan. Mae Langan met her husband Martin while working as a nurse at St. Joseph Hospital.
The Langan Allied Health Academy has provided access to health-related academic and career paths to lower income and/or limited English proficient non-traditional and returning adult students from the nearby neighborhoods of inner city Reading.