HHS Announces Nearly $55.5M in Grants To Bolster Health Workforce
On Thursday, HHS announced that it has awarded nearly $55.5 million in new grants to expand the nation's health care workforce and strengthen training for new and current health professionals, the Washington Post's "Federal Eye" reports (Hicks, "Federal Eye," Washington Post, 12/6).
The grants -- which are being managed by the Health Resources and Services Administration -- have been disbursed to more than 270 recipients in nursing, public health, behavioral health, dentistry and health workforce development.
According to "Federal Eye," HHS officials say the grants will benefit health care workforces that are already stretched thin and could worsen under the Affordable Care Act.
The bulk of the funding -- $45.4 million -- is slated to support nursing workforce development (HHS release, 12/5). More specifically, those funds will be allotted toward providing low-interest educational loans for nursing, paying for advanced nursing training and encouraging racial and ethnic minorities to enter the nursing profession.
The remaining funds will assist dental workforce needs, support residency programs in the preventive medicine field, train doctoral-level psychologists and serve other areas of need ("Federal Eye," Washington Post, 12/6).
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