SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Today, the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) announced the approval of $9,104,000 in grants awarded to 23 registered nurse education programs to expand and improve equitable healthcare access to all Californians.
HCAI Director Elizabeth Landsberg approved the grants under the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Act, which provides grant funding to training programs that attract and admit members of underrepresented groups and place graduates in medically underserved areas.
“The Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Act is an invaluable tool in helping provide equitable access to health care in this state,” said Director Landsberg. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a great toll on our healthcare workforce, especially our nurses on the front lines. These grants will help grow and train the next generation of healthcare professionals that will provide critical care to residents throughout California.”
See the entire list of awardees on the HCAI website.
The nearly $10 million in awards supports 412 student slots with 52 percent of slots for racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine.
“From serving in metropolitan hospitals to providing primary care services in underserved communities, nurses play an extremely important role in California’s health care,” said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “Through these grant awards we continue to build on the Administration’s goal of increasing access to equitable and affordable care for residents throughout the Golden State.”
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The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), formerly the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, identifies shortages of primary care, behavioral health, and dental health professionals, and serves as the state’s building department for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. HCAI provides objective health care information as it collects and hosts trusted, publicly available data on healthcare costs, health workforce capacity, healthcare facilities, and patient characteristics. Learn more about HCAI at www.hcai.ca.gov, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
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