Plymouth nursing program to receive $2.1 million in federal funds 

Published: 01-24-2023 4:34 PM

Plymouth State University will be receiving $2.1 million in federal funding next year to support nursing workforce expansion. New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen visited the school last week to meet with nursing program students and faculty and to tour its nursing program facilities.

The funding the school is receiving will be used to renovate the Samuel Read Hall Building, which has housed PSU’s nursing program since 2015. The renovations will expand the available physical learning space for the program, including its clinical simulation lab.

The funding comes amid a nationwide shortage of nurses, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2022 study published in the journal “Health Affairs” found the total number of registered nurses in the country decreased by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021, the largest drop seen in four decades of record-keeping. A significant number of nurses leaving the workforce were under the age of 35, and most were employed in hospitals.

“We’ve experienced the dire challenges posed by shortages in our nursing workforce – particularly amid the pandemic,” Shaheen said. “Now is the time to invest in robust nursing training and support to put quality health care within reach for every Granite Stater. I’m excited to secure funding for PSU’s Nursing Workforce Expansion project to do just that.”

New England College’s nursing program will also be receiving a $2 million grant Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster announced Tuesday. Their grant will be used to renovate the 35,250-square-foot science facility at the school’s Henniker campus.

During Shaheen’s visit, Clinical Associate Professor Julie Fagan, Clinical Assistant Professor Laura Rogers, Clinical Assistant Professor Kerri Reynolds, and academic operations manager Karen Coughlin gave her an overview of the nursing program and plans for its expansion as she toured the facility. PSU nursing students Ashleigh Magoon of Holderness, New Hampshire and Christopher Bilotti of Ashby, Massachusetts, both juniors, showed her the clinical simulation lab where students gain hands-on experience in life-like clinical scenarios.

“We were honored to welcome Senator Shaheen to campus to tour our current nursing facilities and simulation lab and visiting with nursing students, faculty and staff,” said Plymouth President Donald Birx. “The senator’s securing of CDS funding enables PSU to continue to grow our nursing program allowing us to continue to educate New Hampshire’s next generation of nurses.”

]]>

Article continues after...

Yesterday's Most Read Articles

Pembroke School Board mulls major cuts to next year’s budget
Bow power plant to add solar and batteries; coal use to end by 2028
In Concord address, Sununu rules out future presidential run, calls for marijuana legalization
Will new legislative garage behind State House ease downtown parking?
On the trail: Kuster not seeking re-election this year
Despite tough market, New Hampshire housing optimistic about policy and production