SNOWE, COLLINS ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $109,000 IN NURSING EDUCATION GRANTS TO MAINE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has awarded four Maine universities and colleges a total of $109,514 for advanced nurse education grants. Specifically, the University of Maine will receive $29, 222; the University of Southern Maine will receive $36,011; Husson College will receive $35,769; and the University of New England will receive $8,512 in grants.  This grant funding will be used for scholarships for students wishing to become nurse educators, a profession that has suffered shortfalls in recent years.  This scarcity of nurse educators is a contributing factor to the nation’s current nursing shortage.     “This funding from the Department of Health & Human Services will help address the current nursing shortage by assisting aspiring nurse educators in developing critical teaching skills.  Higher education institutions in Maine have worked hard to continue valuable nursing programs despite a shortage of professors, and we are pleased by this federal support of their ongoing efforts,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.   The Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.  The Department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities, and administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined.