Senior home nursing school.

With the nation's chronic nursing shortage especially acute in Southern California, the Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging has taken the unusual step of launching its own nursing school.

Classes began this month for 24 students of the first class of licensed vocational nursing candidates at the home's new Annenberg School of Nursing. The classes began after five years of planning, significant grants and scholarship commitments from the Annenburg Foundation, UniHealth Foundation and private donors.

Tuition and scholarship incentives are designed to encourage graduates to consider making the Jewish Home their first job as a nurse. The Annenburg Foundation is providing $10,000 grants for the 48-week program, with the amount to be forgiven for graduates who agree to take a job at the home for at least two years. To cover the remaining $7,000 tuition, students have access to no-interest loan assistance from the L.A. Jewish Free Loan Program.

The Jewish Home now provides assisted and skilled nursing services to more than 1,000 seniors plus a variety of outpatient services for hundreds more. Around half of its 725-member staff are either registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses or certified nursing assistants. The home will soon open a new five-story residential tower at its Reseda campus. The school expects to be able to handle up to 80 students within three years and add a registered nursing program.

"We hope to not only provide for our own needs but for the entire community," said Molly Forrest, the home's executive director.

Staff Reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached at [phone], ext. 232, or at [e-mail].