Scholarship Investments Announced As Demand Grows For Healthcare Workers

by Hudson Kamphausen

Healthcare education in Connecticut received a significant boost Wednesday with the announcement of two different scholarship grants for future medical professionals.
Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) announced that in the first year of its three-year, $35 million dollar CT Health Horizons Program, it has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to social work and nursing students at Central, Southern, and Western Connecticut State Universities, as well as Charter Oak State College.
CSCU Chancellor Terrence Cheng said that the awards account for more than 200 scholarships – CSCU also hired 10 more faculty to serve in roles related to nursing and social work. 

“We are excited to continue building on the incredible progress we have made and continue partnering with institutions of higher education, OWS, state agencies, and the Connecticut Hospital Association in further addressing the workforce shortages in the nursing and social work sectors,” he said in a statement. 
The program – which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and has already issued 591 scholarships in its first year – is a partnership between CSCU, the Office of Workforce Strategy, the University of Connecticut, the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, the Connecticut Hospital Association, and other agencies.
Along with providing scholarships and hiring more faculty, the program also created a new nursing program at Eastern Connecticut State University and expanded the college’s MSW program. 

In total, the partnership hired an additional 38 faculty members, including: 18 clinical positions, 10 classroom positions, eight support positions, and two virtual positions.
Chief Workforce Officer Dr. Kelli-Marie Vallieres said that the success of the program in its first year showed the value of a combined public/private model.
“We are providing individuals from underserved communities with the opportunity to pursue good jobs in nursing and social work, while diversifying the field and making significant progress to improving the access and quality of health care in our communities,” she said in a statement. 

Some 34% of the scholarships issued in the program’s first year were to Pell grant-eligible students.
In a similar vein, the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA), announced Wednesday that it had received a $250,000 grant from Capital Workforce Partners (CWP). 
The grant comes as part of the Good Jobs Challenge Training Program, which aims to provide students with training for high-level jobs in healthcare. It will pay for tuition, fees, and technology for 25 Connecticut NIMAA students.

NIMAA Executive Director John Butt said that he is thrilled his organization is able to provide the necessary training and education for the lucky 25 students.
“These funds will help us to continue our mission of closing the health care career workforce gap in the state of Connecticut while also providing educational opportunities to individuals who may otherwise not have been able to afford this level of high-quality, accredited Medical Assistant training,” he said in a statement. 
Those students will receive their training at two locations: Community Health Center, Inc. in Middletown and Fair Haven Community Health Care in New Haven.

Through a partnership with T-Mobile Education and Premier Wireless, all students at NIMAA will receive Chromebooks, high-speed data plans, and Premier Wireless CPR3 software in order to prevent technological inequities from undermining a student’s education.
The Good Jobs Challenge grants that are given out by CWP come from the American Rescue Plan Act part of the budget and are managed by the Connecticut Office of Workforce Strategy and the United States Economic Development Administration.
CWP CEO Alex Johnson said in a statement that the program will expand career opportunities and lead to a more robust American economy through prioritizing “employer leadership and hiring commitments.”