HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) -It’s no secret that the entire country has been suffering from healthcare worker shortages for the past few years and that’s especially been felt here in Alabama.
Now, Governor Kay Ivey is calling on the state legislature to help combat the shortage by funding the proposed Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences in west Alabama.
“One of our greatest needs remains within our healthcare workforce, especially in rural Alabama,” said Gov. Ivey in last week’s State of the State address. “There’s just no denying it, we need more people to fill just about every kind of healthcare job out there: doctors, nurses, techs – you name it. “
The school would be located in Demopolis, Ala. but would have an impact across the entire state.
Leaders of the school would recruit high school students from every corner of Alabama who are interested in the field, train them, and allow them to join the workforce as soon as they receive their diploma on graduation day.
The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences would be the 4th specialty high school in our state, much like the School of Cybertechnology and Engineering here in Huntsville.
“Last year I introduced the idea of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences,” Gov. Ivey said. “We used our successful school of Cybertechnology and Engineering as well as other specialty schools as the blueprint.
“Folks, let’s get this important project done.”
Since the school’s announcement in last year’s address, Gov. Ivey and her team have already hit the ground running so they can get the dirt churning in Demopolis.
A site for the school has already been secured, along with $26.4 million in funding.
Rob Pearson, chairman of the foundation supporting the school, told WAFF 48 News that the total cost will be around $60 million. Now, they are requesting the legislature’s help — $30 million worth of help to be exact.
“We want to try and address the workforce shortage all over Alabama but especially in the rural areas that so desperately need them,” Pearson said. “The health outcomes in the rural areas are not as good as they are in urban areas so we’re trying to change that and trying to change the health of all Alabamians through this school.”
Pearson said the big picture is to give students real, hands-on experience in hospitals that allow them to pursue any job in the medical field. This is exactly what they will receive at ASHS, as they will be partnering with the local rural hospital in Demopolis, Whitfield Regional.
“It would bring students in from all over the state to train them in a rural healthcare setting, adjacent to Whitfield Regional Hospital here in Demopolis,” Pearson said. “The idea is that once they graduate, they’ll be able to step right in and take over several jobs in a hospital or clinic all over Alabama.”
Pearson added that if everything goes accordingly during this year’s legislative session, they anticipate their first freshman class in the fall of 2026.