Grant To Address Nursing Shortage
The Glendale City Council planned to accept a $515,000 state grant on Tuesday aimed at training 124 nurses in the eastern San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. The funding is intended to address the registered nursing shortage in the area.
The grant, allocated through Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) discretionary budget, will be used to create a two-year training program for licensed vocational nurses to become registered nurses.
The Verdugo Workforce Investment Board, which will administer the grant, will train 50 nurses at local community colleges, and an additional 74 nurses at area hospitals.
According to Don Nakamoto, executive analyst with the WVIB, the area's five hospitals are expected to have 400 to 500 nursing positions open within the next 18 months (Dobuzinskis, Los Angeles Daily News, 2/14).