Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation Announces Grants to Aid Nursing Education Programs
Foundation Commits $604,000 to Fifteen Area Nursing Schools

Harrisburg, PA - February 05, 2004 - The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation held an event today to announce the distribution of $604,000 in grants to area nursing programs through the Foundation's Nursing Education Grants Program, which will distribute nearly $5 million statewide to help nursing students.

The Foundation established the Nursing Education Grants Program with support from PHEAA and The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) to make nursing education more accessible and affordable. The program helps to reverse the Commonwealth's nursing shortage by generating financial support which otherwise is not available to schools. This funding, in turn, helps Pennsylvania schools increase the recruitment and retention rates of their nursing programs, providing qualified nurses for the citizens of Pennsylvania.

Funds totaling $604,000 have been earmarked to assist 15 area nursing schools, including College Misericordia, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, the University of Scranton and Wilkes University.

According to the Department of Health's Special Report on the Characteristics of the Registered Nurse Population in Pennsylvania (June 2003) only 17 percent of registered nurses in Pennsylvania are between the ages of 20 and 34 while 52 percent are between the ages of 34 and 50. 30 percent are in the age range of 50 and 64. Almost 50 percent of registered nurses are expected to leave nursing within the next 10 years.

"We are facing a nursing crisis throughout Pennsylvania and too few students are entering into the nursing profession to adequately address this crisis," said Senator Charles D. Lemmond. "To add to this crisis, the cost of a nursing education has increased, placing the average nursing student in debt exceeding $18,000. The unique combination of loan forgiveness, grant and awareness programs established by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation has removed many of the obstacles facing nursing students and has opened the door to a rewarding and successful nursing career."

By providing aid directly to nursing education programs, the Foundation is making Pennsylvania's nursing schools a more attractive choice to future nurses and providing Pennsylvania's citizens with qualified nursing care.

Nursing educators such as those at College Misericordia (CM) know the trends all too well. "Although College Misericordia and institutions like us have seen renewed interest in traditional undergraduate nursing programs over the last three years, national and state-wide data still suggest that the demand for educated nursing professionals will exceed the supply for the foreseeable future," explains Donna Ayers Snelson, chair of CM's Nursing Department. "Financial and physical resources as well as non-traditional programming formats are needed to meet demand for nurses in Pennsylvania. Support for programs aimed at adult learners, such as the one at College Misericordia, serve to facilitate nursing as a second career for many Pennsylvania residents. Support for graduate nursing education programs designed to increase the amount of nurse educators will allow Pennsylvania nursing schools the ability to increase enrollments and thus impact the nursing shortage. The scholarship funds from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation will play a big part in helping us address the nursing shortage."

For additional information about the Foundation's initiatives or to inquire about donation opportunities, contact the Foundation office at (717) 720-3961 or visit www.HigherEdFoundation.org.