NEW ORLEANS — LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing will have an easier time building a diverse workforce of nurses thanks to a $1.08 million grant award from The Department of Health and Human Services.
LSU Health New Orleans says the Health Resources and Services Administration grant will provide a diverse nursing workforce ready to provide high-quality, culturally aligned health care for patients in rural and medically under-served communities.
The money will help with recruiting, enrolling, educating, and graduating undergraduate students at the School of Nursing.
"We are delighted to accept this grant and allocate it towards enhancing faculty and student recruitment, retention, and graduation efforts," says Dr. Benita Chatmon, Assistant Dean for Clinical Nursing Education and Grant Program Director at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing.
"The grant's assistance will offer students extra financial support as they progress through the program, and it will also enable us to develop focused strategies for recruiting and retaining underrepresented minority faculty and students."
“Currently, minorities make up 20% of the nursing workforce in Louisiana,” Demetrius Porche, Professor and Dean of LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing says. “Developing a culturally diverse workforce is critical to reducing ethnic and racial health disparities. Recruiting and graduating nursing students from minority backgrounds is one way to alleviate health disparities by producing a workforce that reflects the population.”
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