Leverages $870,000 in Private Funds, Reaches 26 Counties
LANCASTER, Pa., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Residents in 26 counties interested in pursuing careers in nursing will benefit from educational opportunities funded by $1.6 million in state and private sector investments, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today.
"Like many states, Pennsylvania faces a crisis in the health care industry," Governor Rendell said. "As our population ages, we need more nurses to provide the care our citizens need and deserve. We must take steps now to ensure that nurse-education programs have the facilities and faculty they need to train the future nursing workforce that the health care industry and our commonwealth's citizens will most certainly require."
"By expanding class sizes and hiring additional nurse education faculty, we can enroll and train more nurses and grow the workforce," said Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Sandi Vito, who announced the state investment of $750,000 that will leverage at least $870,000 in private-sector matching funds at a press conference at the Lancaster General College of Nursing & Health Sciences. "Part of meeting Pennsylvania's health care needs is making sure that prospective nursing students have room to enroll in courses and pursue the degrees that lead to their intended career."
The Nurse Education Initiative grants help increase educational quality and enable institutions to expand their programs by providing faculty coordination and training services. The initiative also enables nursing programs to hire one faculty member who is dedicated to incorporating simulation technology into the curriculum, thereby providing the most productive and efficient use of simulation labs and increasing the number of students nursing programs can enroll.
The grants address nurse education and workforce retention challenges
identified in a Pennsylvania Center for Health Careers report, which was
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