By Eagle Times Staff
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is awarding the University of New Hampshire $650,000 to support nursing students who commit to work in rural or underserved communities.
The award was announced recently in a joint statement by Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas.
According to the New Hampshire delegation, the award will help the state respond to its health-care workforce shortage.
“Addressing New Hampshire’s nursing workforce shortage is crucial to ensuring that all Granite Staters can access the care that they need,” said Hassan. “This funding will support nursing students at the University of New Hampshire who plan to work in rural and underserved communities and helps address the range of health care challenges, including mental health and substance use disorders, that communities across our state face.”
“When we invest in the strength and resilience of our health-care workforce, our entire state feels the benefits,” said Kuster, founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force.
“This investment will strengthen the University of New Hampshire’s training for nursing students and ensure rural and underserved communities can access the health care they need,” Pappas said. “Our health-care workers show up for our communities every day, and I will keep fighting to secure resources that support their vital work, invest in our workforce, and expand access to health care.”
Senator Hassan has worked across the aisle to help bolster New Hampshire’s health-care workforce. Earlier this year, she reintroduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the mental health workforce in the face of shortages. In May, Senator Hassan joined colleagues to introduce legislation to create a national graduate nursing education program to help increase the number of advanced practice registered nurses. Additionally, provisions from Senator Hassan’s bipartisan bill to help address the severe shortage of doctors trained in addiction medicine became law in 2022, creating 200 new medical residency positions, including for addiction medicine, at teaching hospitals in New Hampshire and across the country.
During negotiations surrounding the American Rescue Plan Act, Shaheen helped steer efforts to increase to ensure hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers on the frontlines had the support they need to keep their doors open and continue to care for patients. In March, Shaheen helped introduce bipartisan legislation that would help build a health-care workforce in rural and medically underserved areas by allowing international doctors to stay and practice in the United States after their residency.
Earlier this year, New England College received a $2 million grant to help increase its capacity to prepare nursing professionals.
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