Press Release

August 6, 2010
CARDIN, MIKULSKI CONGRATULATE MARYLAND UNIVERSITIES ON WINNING GRANTS TO TRAIN MARYLANDERS FOR JOBS IN HEALTH CARE FIELD
Johns Hopkins, Salisbury State, University of Maryland, Coppin State to train nurses; grants will also increase access for underrepresented students and provide geriatric training


WASHINGTON
– U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD)today announced four universities have received grants to train Marylanders for jobs in high-demand, high-growth health fields of nursing and geriatric health, helping to alleviate the shortage of health care workers in Maryland.


 

“Maryland is home to the finest medical institutions in our nation and these grants will make it possible to expand the educational and training opportunities for careers in the health care field,” said
Senator Cardin. “From providing more nurses to expanding geriatric education to reaching out to minority communities, these funds will mean jobs for Marylanders and help eliminate the current shortage of health care workers.”


 

 “This is about jobs, jobs, jobs. It’s about preparing people who need jobs for jobs that are available in Maryland today,”
Senator Mikulski said. “With these funds, some of Maryland’s premier universities will train a new pipeline of workers to fill jobs in nursing that are needed now and will be needed even more in the future. This is a win-win opportunity to help save lives, transform lives and transform communities.”


 

The grants, awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and funded through the

Affordable Care Act
, will support health care workforce training programs across the country. They target three types of programs: Nursing Workforce Development programs; interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs; and Centers of Excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.


 


  • The University of Maryland, Baltimore received an Advanced Education Nursing grant in the amount of $378,522, which will supports infrastructure to increase advanced education to train nurses as primary care providers and/or nursing faculty.

 


  • Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grants were received by Johns Hopkins University ($75,384), University of Maryland School of Nursing ($224,346) and Salisbury State University ($13,675) to prepare individuals for careers as nurse specialists, requiring advanced education.

 


  • The University of Maryland School of Nursing also received a Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship Grant in the amount of $24,541 to provide traineeships that pay tuition, books, fees, and a living stipend for registered nurses who have completed at least 12 months in a master’s or doctoral nurse anesthesia program.

 


  • Coppin State University and Johns Hopkins University both received Nursing Workforce Diversity Grants, which provide funds to increase nursing education opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented among registered nurses. The awards were in the amount of $374,340 and $353,177, respectively.

 


  • Johns Hopkins University also received a Geriatric Education Center grant in the amount of $411,212 to improve training of health professionals in geriatrics; develop curricula relating to treating health problems of the elderly; and support faculty training and continuing education for health professionals in geriatric care. The university also received a Geriatric Training Programs grant in the amount of $466,093 to train health professionals who plan to teach geriatric medicine, geriatric dentistry, or geriatric behavioral or mental health.

 

In Maryland, there is a gap between the demand and supply in a number of critical healthcare professions, including registered nurses, emergency medical technicians, dental assistants, and pharmacy technicians. Targeted programs are needed to address these current and forecasted workforce shortages, and to provide workers with training necessary to enter into the healthcare industry, which remains a critical driver in regional economies across the nation. These grants begin to help address that shortage.

 

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 health professions programs, go to




http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/


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