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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 31, 2023 08:28 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Tracy Pennycuick and Sen. Maria Collett |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Healthcare and Nursing Scholarships |
| America is facing a crisis as the American Hospital Association conducted a recent study that projected the need for the country to educate and train more than 200,000 nurses to meet the nation’s growing healthcare demands. Nowhere is this shortage greater, according to the same study, than in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which is projected to have a deficit of 20,000 nurses in the coming years. In order to strengthen Pennsylvania’s healthcare workforce and improve quality of care in the Commonwealth, we are introducing legislation which would help to train the next generation of nurses and healthcare professionals in Pennsylvania. Our legislation would provide scholarship, administered by PHEAA, to students pursuing careers in nursing and healthcare at a community college in Pennsylvania. Community colleges, during the last academic year, educated more than 5,000 nurses and accounted for 75% of all associate degrees in nursing awarded in the state. This new scholarship program would allow students training for a career in healthcare at a community college to apply for a scholarship. This new program would allow students enrolled in an eligible healthcare program to cover unmet needs or costs not covered by other sources of federal and state financial aid. By investing in the next generation of nursing and healthcare professionals, we can ensure that the Commonwealth has the skilled personnel necessary to meet any future challenges. Please join us in cosponsoring this important legislation to strengthen and support Pennsylvania’s healthcare workforce. |