In December, Augustana College took a deliberate step to strengthen the future of
health care in the Quad Cities by entering into a new partnership with Trinity College of
Nursing & Health Sciences.
Augustana College, a private college of the liberal arts and sciences, and Trinity College
of Nursing & Health Sciences, a subsidiary of nonprofit UnityPoint Health, signed a
definitive agreement for Augustana to acquire Trinity in a cashless transaction in June
of this year. The acquisition will strengthen two long-standing Rock Island institutions
around a shared responsibility to educate the region’s future health care workforce.
Final approvals and full integration are anticipated for 2028.
How this partnership serves the Quad Cities
- It strengthens the region’s health care workforce by expanding access to a rigorous
nursing education that prepares graduates for a high-need, fast-changing industry. - We will see more college-going students coming to the area for a nursing degree.
These students will be bright interns and employees in local professional health care
settings. - It supports area hospitals and clinics by expanding the local pool of highly qualified
local professionals who improve patient outcomes and institutional performance. - It benefits local businesses and non-profits by expanding health-related expertise
across the workplace and community. - It improves quality of life for Quad-Cities community members through
compassionate, forward-thinking care delivered by locally educated professionals. - Over time, it positions the Quad Cities as a destination for health care education
and employment, strengthening recruitment, economic vitality and regional
competitiveness.
This is a future within reach. Augustana has a proven record of designing and
sustaining innovative health focused initiatives that advance student learning while
delivering measurable benefit to the Quad Cities. Some examples from 2025:
- With funding from a $350,000 Solutions at Scale grant from the Better Health
Foundation, Augustana’s Center for Community Health and Wellness
(CACHW) is partnering with three local organizations — Community Health Care (CHC), Iowa Black Doula Collective, and Akwaaba QC to improve maternal care in the region. - A new partnership between Augustana and UnityPoint Health PACE
(Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) Senior Care expands access
to hearing care for older adults in the Quad Cities. - Augustana kinesiology students and faculty led kinesiology fitness clinics for
community members, administering body composition and cardiovascular fitness
tests in Augustana’s Peter J. Lindberg, M.D., Center for Health and Human
Performance.
These efforts reflect a comprehensive approach to health education, one that connects
prevention, clinical training, community partnership and workforce readiness into a
cohesive regional ecosystem.
For nearly 80 years, Augustana has been teaching student clinicians and serving Quad-
Cities community members with speech, language and hearing disorders in its on-
campus clinic, The Barbara A. Roseman Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing. In
2024, Augustana’s master’s program in speech-language pathology received full
accreditation status.
In 2014, Augustana became one of the first liberal arts colleges to add a major in public
health. Augustana’s longtime commitment to public health stems from the college’s
roles as an institution of higher learning and as a community partner — in the
neighborhood, in the Quad Cities region and beyond.
Earlier-established partnerships between Augustana and Trinity — a direct-entry 2+2
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program launched in 2024, and a BA-to-MSN
pathway — provide a look at the advantages to pursuing a health care education at both
institutions.
For many years, Trinity has recognized the preparedness of Augustana students for the
rigors of nursing school, and welcomed them into its program. Augustana’s liberal arts
education prepares students seeking medical careers with a broad understanding of
treating the “whole person,” which can lead to stronger patient outcomes. They gain
critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills, and they have significant
laboratory experience as part of their coursework, which is not the case at many
undergraduate institutions.
Continuing their education at Trinity has offered distinctive benefits for Augustana
students: the convenience of a Rock Island location, and excellent hands-on experience
in the wide variety of settings found in our region.
For 127 years, Trinity School of Nursing & Health Sciences has prepared skilled,
compassionate health professionals. Augustana College, located in Rock Island for
more than 150 years, educates leaders who can navigate change and innovate
throughout the evolution of health care.
This acquisition builds on decades of mutual respect and collaboration between the two
schools, grounded in a shared belief that strong liberal arts preparation and rigorous
clinical education together produce better health professionals. This partnership also
reflects a shared commitment to the Quad Cities: to educate compassionate, capable
health professionals, to strengthen the regional workforce and to invest in the long-term
health of our community.
