NCC Awarded $1M to Increase Opportunities in Nursing Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Nassau Community College’s program for Nursing Workforce Diversity (NCCNWD) $1.045 million in grant money to increase educational opportunities at the two-year college.

The money is intended to directly help individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, including racial and ethnic minorities that are underrepresented in the nursing profession, according to NCC. 

According to Dr. Kenneth Saunders, NCC's acting president, the grant is "exactly what NCC is all about" in many respects.

"It will provide the resources to enhance our outreach to the community and promote the goal of increasing educational opportunities for students," he said. "In addition, it will advance the objective of improving the quality of life of Nassau County’s residents.”

In seeking the federal funding, NCC highlighted the fact that the Long Island region is "currently experiencing workforce shortages in the nursing field at the same time that there is an increasing demand for those services as the region’s population ages," according to college officials.

The significant under-representation in the workforce of nurses from diverse backgrounds has been linked to health disparities because individuals from different ethnic and racial backgrounds tend to seek care from professionals with similar backgrounds, NCC further noted in a press release.
           
NCC will achieve the goals of this grant though a "multi-pronged approach" working with several middle and high schools in the area, providing career information and counseling services to assist in creating a "pipeline of students interested in nursing and other health related careers."

NCC staff will collaborate with high school teachers and school district coordinators in providing potential nursing students with information regarding academic preparation required to be a nurse, entry level salaries and the nursing job market.

“I’m very excited, because the services we’ll be able to provide as a result of this grant will both bring more nurses to Long Island and offer qualified students a choice they might otherwise not have considered,” Dr. Carmelle Bellefleur, the program's project director said, adding that the college's Nursing Department works in partnership with hospitals like North Shore-LIJ Health System, Winthrop-University Hospital and South Nassau Communities Hospital. 

A mentoring initiative designed to "increase the retention rate of disadvantaged students already in the nursing program" will also be created using the funds. NCC officials also hope to foster the development of “cultural competency,” making students more aware of the "social, cultural, political and economic realities of the range of communities that they will be serving upon graduation."

Stipends and scholarships will also be available through the grant.