CSUSB Nursing Department Receives $500K Gift from High Desert Philanthropist

Physician and philanthropist, Dr. Prem Reddy, of Victorville, has donated $500,000 to Cal State San Bernardino (CSUSB) and its department of nursing. To recognize his gift, the university’s nursing lab will be renamed the Dr. Prem Reddy Nursing Laboratory. “This is a great day for our nursing students and the community they will serve after graduation,” said CSUSB President Tomás Morales. “Dr. Reddy’s generosity will make a remarkable difference, elevating opportunities for one of the premier academic programs in the entire Inland Empire.” Dr. Reddy has been a long-time supporter of CSUSB. In 2006, the Dr. Prem Reddy Academic Excellence Scholarship was established for eligible full-time pre-med, nursing and/or health education students who qualified for the scholarship and maintained a minimum 3.5 grade point average at the university. “These students are our future, and it is imperative that we give them the best training available,” said Dr. Reddy. “I came from an impoverished background to become a cardiologist. Nothing is impossible for these hard working students, and I hope that this laboratory and equipment helps them achieve their dreams.” The donation will allow the nursing lab to update critical equipment, including patient simulators that provide students with an unparalleled learning experience. The soon-to-be named Dr. Prem Reddy Nursing Laboratory is a model for hands-on nursing education. The gift will be a boon to the nursing department, which is in the university’s College of Natural Sciences, adds Dean Kirsten Fleming. “This generous gift will allow for state-of-the art equipment in the nursing skills lab,” said Fleming. “The lab provides a safe learning environment for nursing students which allows them to apply their skills and build their confidence before they treat patients.” Born in India, Dr. Reddy immigrated to the United States in 1976 with his wife, Venkamma, who is also a physician. He is double board-certified in internal medicine and cardiology. He was awarded the honor of Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. During his 25 years of practice in the High Desert, he has committed himself to the service of his patients and performed more than 5,000 cardiac procedures, including coronary angiography and angioplasty, and permanent pacemaker implantations. Dr. Reddy founded Prime Healthcare in 2001, starting with Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville. Since then, Prime Healthcare has expanded to own and operate 23 hospitals across the nation. The health system has been recognized as one of the “15 Top Health Systems” in the nation three times in the last five years, including in 2013, and its hospitals have earned the “100 Top Hospitals” recognition 21 times. Involved in philanthropic work for years, Dr. Reddy established the Desert Valley Medical Foundation in 1989. His support of healthcare students in the High Desert is well known, and was reinforced when Victor Valley College named its health sciences school after him in 2003. He also founded and has been the sole contributor to the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, which owns five non-profit hospitals, and the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that has donated millions toward charities, including college scholarships, public healthcare education and free community clinics. Dr. Reddy has been recognized with numerous awards for his philanthropy. The CSUSB nursing department in the College of Natural Sciences offers both a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing and a Master of Science degree in nursing and averages more than 400 undergraduate nursing majors in the generic pre-licensure BSN program based on admissions in the fall and winter. The generic BSN program is offered at the San Bernardino campus as well as at CSUSB’s Palm Desert Campus.