Sebelius Announces $200M for Training Health Care Workers
On Tuesday, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $200 million from the federal stimulus package will be made available to help fund the training of about 8,000 health professionals by the end of fiscal year 2010, CQ HealthBeat reports.
The money will be available for grants, loans, loan repayments and scholarships intended to defray the costs of training such workers.
Sebelius said, "Health care reform cannot happen without an adequate supply of well-trained, well-distributed providers," adding, "These [stimulus] funds provide targeted investments in primary care, nursing, faculty development and equipment purchases that will shore up the work force as we prepare for reform."
An additional $300 million will be allocated to expand the National Health Service Corps, which helps providers who agree to work in medically underserved areas (CQ HealthBeat, 7/28).
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