HHS Grants $30M to Ease Nursing Shortage
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have granted $30 million to attract more people into the field of nursing.
More than $22 million will be distributed to colleges, universities and other organizations, while $8 million will be spent to repay loans of healthcare workers willing to work two years in a public or nonprofit health facility.
Charles H. Roadman II, MD, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) says the staffing shortage directly impacts patient care.
"Increasing the number of front line caregivers will have a direct impact on the quality of care provided to the nation's elderly and disabled - and this should be a top public policy objective," he says. "The HHS grant designed to increases the number of qualified nurses and the quality of nursing services across the country is timely and necessary. As these grants are generally targeted toward increasing the numbers of nurses with advanced degrees, we urge Secretary Thompson to ensure the dire shortage of front line caregivers in the long term care sector receives specific attention."
According to Roadman, there are more than 100,000 licensed nurse and certified nurse aide jobs currently unfilled in nursing homes nationally.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
Getting Down and Dirty With PPE: Presentations at HSPA by Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski
June 26th 2025In the heart of the hospital, decontamination technicians tackle one of health care’s dirtiest—and most vital—jobs. At HSPA 2025, 6 packed workshops led by experts Jill Holdsworth and Katie Belski spotlighted the crucial, often-overlooked art of PPE removal. The message was clear: proper doffing saves lives, starting with your own.
