To amend the Public Health Service Acts to make community colleges eligible to participate in the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention–Pathway to Registered Nurse Program, and for other purposes.
The GROWTH Act of 2023 expands a federal nursing education program to include community colleges and tribal colleges for the first time. Previously, only nursing schools and health care facilities could participate in the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention–Pathway to Registered Nurse Program, which provides grants to support nursing education and workforce development. This bill allows community colleges, either independently or in partnership with health care facilities, to become eligible grant recipients. The legislation directs the federal government to prioritize funding for community colleges with existing nursing programs and partnerships between colleges and health care facilities, with up to 50 percent of available grant funding potentially reserved for these entities. The bill aims to expand access to nursing education and help address healthcare workforce shortages by leveraging community colleges, which typically serve more diverse and geographically dispersed student populations than traditional four-year nursing schools.
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