The federal government on Tuesday announced $19 million in funding to five schools to help educate nurses to work in long-term care and acute healthcare settings.
The funding, which will be awarded over four years through the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality and Retention – Workforce Expansion Program, will go to:
- Oregon Science University, Portland, which will receive a total of $4 million, including $1 million in the first year;
- University of Pacific, Stockton, CA, which will receive a total of $4 million, including $1 million in the first year;
- Regents of the University of Michigan, Flint, which will receive a total of $3,939,111, including $999,425 in the first year;
- Technical System College of Georgia, a community college in Macon, which will receive a total of $3,660,000, including $915,000 in the first year; and
- Southern Crescent Technical College, a community college in Griffin, GA, which will receive a total of $3,952,010, including $960,575 in the first year.
Part of $100 million announced
The funding is part of a total of almost $100 million announced Tuesday by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration to expand the health workforce. Other funding aims to increase the number of primary care physicians (almost $12 million will be awarded in 2024), promote behavioral health integration into pediatric care (an additional $4.6 million will be provided to existing grantees), and support behavioral health needs of children in families affected by the opioid crisis (more than $63 million will be awarded over four years).
The announcement was made in conjunction with an HHS Health Workforce Roundtable convened as part of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s Health Workforce Initiative.
“HHS launched our Health Workforce Initiative last year to make sure our country has enough health workers, and that those health workers are receiving the support they deserve,” Becerra said in a statement, adding that “[i]t is especially important that we address workforce shortages in underserved and rural communities, where access is often lacking.”
Industry appreciates the money
Argentum and LeadingAge told the McKnight’s Business Daily that they appreciate the funding, although long-term care providers have a need for workers in addition to nurses.
Argentum previously calculated that long-term care settings will have 20 million job openings, 3 million of them in senior living, by 2040.
“Workers are needed not only in personal care, but in every career it takes to operate our communities,” the association said in a statement. “Argentum has met directly with HRSA to discuss these shortages to ask for their help and has also successfully advocated for legislative language to transform existing education and training programs specifically to develop the long-term care workforce.”
The association said it is “seeking to expand on these efforts through the upcoming federal appropriations process” and called on Congress and the Biden administration to “make further investments to meet the caregiving needs of our rapidly aging population.”
Linda Couch, senior vice president of policy for LeadingAge, said that the association applauded the effort by the federal government.
“Developing the aging services workforce is more important than ever: America’s population is aging rapidly and demand for services is continuing to grow,” she said. “Without staff, there is no care. Our nation and its policies must value and support aging services professionals with a range of immediate actions, including education and training.”
