Ciscomani, Cherfilus-McCormick Sponsor New Bipartisan Effort to Support Community College Nursing Programs
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20) introduced new bipartisan legislation this week to support additional funding for nursing programs at community colleges. Full text of the legislation is available here.
The Grants for Resources in Occupational Workforce Training for Healthcare (GROWTH) Act expands eligibility to the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention–Pathway to Registered Nurse Program (NEPQR) grants under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to include community colleges. The bill would also prioritize allocating up to 50 percent of total funds to community colleges or partnerships with community colleges. Currently, a large majority of these grants go to 4-year institutions.
“As a proud graduate of Pima Community College, I know how crucial these institutions are to students, the workforce, and our communities,” said Rep. Ciscomani. “These students should have the same opportunities and funding as their counterparts at a 4-year university. This bill strengthens our nursing workforce while improving the programs offered by our community colleges.”
“The national nursing shortage has hit health facilities hard and compromised access to quality care,” said Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick. “That is precisely why we must make it easier for community college students to pursue a successful career in nursing, without worrying about financial hurdles. I am proud to introduce the bipartisan GROWTH Act of 2023, which will bolster our healthcare system and address this critical workforce shortage.”
Reps. Ciscomani and Cherfilus-McCormick are joined on the bill by Reps. John James (R-MI-10), David Trone (D-MD-06), Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03). This legislation is also supported by American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Families USA.
"Pima Community College's nursing programs are considered among the best by the healthcare employers in our region,” said Dr. Dolores Duran-Cerda, the Interim Chancellor for Pima Community College. “However, our prestigious programs have not been able to qualify for HRSA grants in the past because of previous grants' bias toward universities. We are very excited by Congressman Ciscomani's GROWTH Act, which would expand community colleges' ability to access the Nursing Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention Pathway grants, helping colleges like ours to better serve our communities and our learners."
“Community colleges make an essential contribution to the country’s nursing workforce, conferring 75% of all associate nursing degrees in 2019-20,” said Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, the President and CEO of the AACC. “The community colleges’ highly qualified graduates work across the nation contributing greatly to local and regional workforce pipelines while earning family sustaining wages. These community college nursing programs play a critical role in the nation’s workforce but receive virtually no funding through the basic federal nursing program. This important legislation would help these colleges secure badly needed resources to support and expand these costly educational programs while helping to broaden the nation’s nursing workforce and enhance patient care.”
Nearly one-third of nurses in the United States said that they will likely leave nursing for another career. As the country continues to face a nursing shortage, community colleges have been found to be one of the most instrumental institutions in training and educating health care workers. At least twenty-five members of Congress attended or graduated from a community college.