Shallina Goodnight named executive director of new Alliance for Healthcare Education
Shallina Goodnight has been named the first executive director of the Alliance for Healthcare Education.
The alliance is a partnership between CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools to create a pipeline that produces more health care professionals in southwest Missouri.
“We have high expectations for the alliance and its potential for providing our students opportunities to gain knowledge and skills that will prepare them for careers in the health care field,” said Grenita Lathan, superintendent of SPS and president of the alliance's Board of Directors.
“Having a highly qualified executive director like Ms. Goodnight will ensure that the vision of the founding partners becomes a reality.”
Goodnight has leadership experience during her 20-year career with Oxford HealthCare and CoxHealth at Home.
"In conversations with her, it is clear she has solid plans to implement an aggressive timeline for getting the alliance to full capacity in order to bring more health professionals into the workplace in our community," said Hal Higdon, chancellor of OTC, in the release. "She is the right person for the job.”
She is currently the administrative director for CoxHealth at Home, overseeing all home health medical supply services across CoxHealth at Home’s regional footprint, which includes more than 7,000 patient services each month.
In previous roles at CoxHealth at Home, she led the organization’s name-change transition as Oxford HealthCare integrated into CoxHealth. She was responsible for brand re-imagining, website and collateral redesign, integrated advertising, public relations, and digital media campaigns.
“Shallina has demonstrated success in the health care industry,” said Clif Smart, president of Missouri State, in the release. “We believe in her abilities to lead the alliance from its startup stage to the future we envision.”
More: Here's how 4 southwest Missouri institutions plan to revolutionize health care training
In the new role, Goodnight will work with the alliance's board to determine needs and next steps. She will start right away. Her salary is $165,000.
“I have a genuine passion for the transformative work that the alliance is committed to,” said Goodnight, in the release.
“The success of the alliance is indispensable for the future of our region, as it has the potential to revolutionize the health care workforce. A strong workforce will, in turn, enhance the health of our community and fortify our region’s economic prowess.”
The alliance calls for MSU, OTC and SPS to use the existing Cox College infrastructure, a 70,000-square-foot area at Cox North Hospital that includes classrooms and healthcare technology, equipment and laboratories.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Alliance for Healthcare Education names its first executive director
