HHS awarding $159 million in grants for worker training

The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $159.1 million to support healthcare workforce training.

The grants, which Secretary Kathleen Sebelius disclosed on Thursday, will target three types of activity: Nursing Workforce Development programs, interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs, and Centers of Excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.

The biggest share of the grant money, $106 million, will go toward Nursing Workforce Development programs to support all levels of nursing education. Eighty-five awards totaling $29.5 million will fund three geriatric education and training programs at accredited health professions schools. The remaining $23.6 million will support Centers of Excellence programs that are designed to improve the recruitment and performance of underrepresented minority students preparing for health professions careers.

State-by-state charts of the grant awards are available here at the HHS web site.