Regis College has been awarded $820,000 from the Wagner Foundation to continue the university’s critical work through the Regis In Haiti program. The grant will support the next phase of Regis’ collaboration with partners in Haiti to establish a new, groundbreaking Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program to improve health access, equity, and outcomes in the country. Wagner Foundation awarded the university $650,000 in 2020. This additional grant will continue to support ongoing work to improve the clinical skills of student and novice nurses in Haiti to close the gap between theory and practice.
"At the core of our mission is addressing disparities such as the injustice of the lack of access to health care. Wagner Foundation believes strongly in the long-term and life-changing impact Regis is making in Haiti, and we are honored to continue supporting the university’s work to address the inequities that exist in the health ecosystem. A new doctoral program in nursing will expand scholarship, evidence-based practice, and enrich nursing education across the country for Haitians studying to become nurses,” said Wagner Foundation Founder and President Charlotte Wagner.
“We are beyond grateful to the Wagner Foundation, who share our passion to pursue an ambitious goal of access to quality health care to those in the greatest of need in Haiti. Through the Wagner Foundation's generous support, Regis will continue to collaborate with our partners on the ground in Haiti to strengthen the nursing profession and the healthcare system through nursing education and clinical skill development," said Regis College President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN.
Now called Regis In Haiti, the Regis Haiti Project was established in 2007 with a collaboration between Regis nursing faculty and the Haitian Ministry of Health to teach and train nurse leaders and educators to better prepare the next generation of health care providers using the latest teaching techniques and equipment. Regis In Haiti focuses on advancing the nursing profession by training nurse educators, strengthening clinical skills among student and new nurses, and fostering evidence-based research to strengthen Haiti’s fragile healthcare system.
In July 2022, nine nursing faculty from Haiti attended a two-week training led by Regis nursing faculty on the Regis campus. The visiting faculty teach in each of Haiti’s state-run nursing schools, Ministry of Health, and various teaching hospitals. Through completion of the training funded by a Wagner Foundation grant, the Haitian nurses learned how to incorporate the use of simulation labs into their teaching practice. Simulation laboratories offer opportunities to gain practical experience by enacting clinical cases and increased preparation for treating patients in clinical settings.
“Regis College has been a wonderful partner for over 15 years, working with our team to improve the quality of nursing education in Haiti,” said Irma D. Bois, Director of Nursing at the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population. “With the generosity of the Wagner Foundation, we are very pleased to move into a new phase of our joint work by establishing a Doctor of Nursing Practice program in Haiti. This will allow our nursing faculty to provide the highest level of training to our baccalaureate and masters level students who will now also be able to earn this new degree."
