Funds will Support Programs to Train Nurses, Geriatric Specialists and Improve the Performance and Recruitment of Underrepresented Minority Students
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today will announce $159.1 million in grants to health care workforce training programs. These grants build on the multimillion dollar investments made under the Affordable Care Act and Recovery Act to strengthen and grow our primary care workforce. The grants will target three types of programs: Nursing Workforce Development programs; interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs; and Centers of Excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.
“In addition to training new health care workers, these grants will support efforts to better prepare health care workers to care for our diverse and aging population, improving health care quality for all Americans.”
“We cannot build a healthier America if our country continues to face a growing health professions shortage,” said Secretary Sebelius. “A well-trained, educated and diverse workforce is critical to meeting future health care demands, and to reforming the nation’s health care system.”
“These grants target key workforce needs,” said Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N. “In addition to training new health care workers, these grants will support efforts to better prepare health care workers to care for our diverse and aging population, improving health care quality for all Americans.”
Nursing Workforce Development
Nursing Workforce Development programs will receive $106 million in grants to support all levels of nursing education.
Interdisciplinary Geriatric Education and Training
Eighty-five awards totaling $29.5 million will fund three geriatric education and training programs at accredited health professions schools.
Centers of Excellence Grants
Eighteen awards totaling $23.6 million were announced to support Centers of Excellence programs that are designed to improve the recruitment and performance of underrepresented minority students preparing for health professions careers.
The program supports activities to develop an educational pipeline to enhance academic performance of underrepresented minority students. It supports underrepresented minority faculty development, facilitates research on health issues particularly affecting underrepresented minority groups, and provides training to students at community-based health facilities for providing health services to underrepresented minority individuals. The awardees are schools of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and allied health (including designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); graduate programs in behavioral health; and other public and nonprofit health or educational organizations.
Secretary Sebelius will highlight the grants, which include both new and continuing grants, at the National Health Service Corps Conference today. The National Health Service Corps is another HRSA program that has seen new resources under the Obama administration to invest in America’s health care workforce in underrepresented areas.
State-by-state charts of the grant awards are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/08/state_charts.html.
For more information on HRSA’s health professions programs, go to http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
