Alliance for Healthcare Education kicks off $15M renovation project

A multimillion-dollar renovation project is officially underway following a groundbreaking ceremony this afternoon at Cox North Hospital.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe was among officials in attendance at today’s event for The Alliance for Healthcare Education, which is beginning a $15 million major expansion of its footprint for students on the Cox North campus. Roughly 45,000 square feet is being renovated in space at Cox College, which is merging its programming into the alliance, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. 

The Alliance for Healthcare Education was formed in 2023 by CoxHealth, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College and Springfield Public Schools. The partnership was started to create affordable pathways into health care careers and address workforce shortages. The inaugural year of programs for high school and college students began this month following a pilot year, officials say. An initial cohort of 32 Springfield high school students began in the alliance program in fall 2024, according to past reporting.

DeWitt & Associates Inc. is general contractor and Paragon Architecture LLC is serving as architect for the renovation project, which is creating more educational, clinical, studying and gathering spaces within Cox North. The project is being funded by $15 million the alliance received in 2024 from the state’s fiscal 2025 budget.

“This expansion is about more than bricks and mortar,” said Shallina Goodnight, the alliance’s executive director, in a news release. “It’s about creating opportunity at scale. We’re building a system where a high school junior, an adult looking for a fresh start, or a current health care worker ready to upskill can find an affordable, clear path to a meaningful career.”

Evangel University in July 2024 became the first educational affiliate partner of the alliance, according to past reporting. Today’s event announced its initial workforce affiliate partners: Burrell Behavioral Health and Citizens Memorial Hospital. 

With the alliance joining forces with Burrell and CMH, Goodnight said it is ensuring that behavioral health and rural health care are front and center in shaping the future workforce.

“They really understand that we’ve got to link arms together to get anywhere,” Goodnight said of Burrell and CMH in an interview with media on Aug. 22. 

Goodnight said Evangel is primarily engaging with the alliance to expand pathways the university has for its students. However, Burrell and CMH are partnering with the alliance to help meet workforce demands.

“They absolutely will be sending staff through that need to skill up, but really they’re looking more at exposure to help attract and potentially hire for their workforce needs,” she said.

Clay Goddard, president of the southwest region for Burrell Behavioral Health and its parent company, Brightli Inc., said in the release the organization is excited to build more community partnerships such as The Alliance for Healthcare Education that will inspire people to consider careers in behavioral health.

“Together, we can break down the barriers our friends and family members face when it comes to accessing quality care,” he said.

For Michael Calhoun, CEO of CMH, rural health care depends on homegrown talent.

“By partnering with The Alliance, we’re making sure students from rural communities not only have access to world-class training, but also a clear path to return home and serve,” Calhoun said in the release. “This expansion is a lifeline for rural Missouri and the patients who count on us.”

Kehoe said in the release that the alliance represents Missouri at its very best as “leaders across education and health care working together to solve one of our most pressing challenges.”

“This expansion is an investment not only in buildings, but in people,” he said. “It’s about ensuring our communities, from our largest cities to our smallest rural towns, have access to the health care professionals they need today and for generations to come.”

The renovation project is estimated to wrap by summer 2027, according to past reporting.

An expanded version of this article is scheduled to be published in Springfield Business Journal’s Sept. 1 print edition.