WASHINGTON - Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that East Central Michigan Healthcare Foundation of Bay City would receive $277,535 in federal funding for nurse training and retention opportunities.  The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded this grant to East Central Michigan Healthcare to improve access to medically underserved populations.

“This funding will be vital to educating and retaining qualified nurses in Bay City,” said Kildee. “Increasingly, nurses are the first health care professional patients will see, often providing direct care, explaining diagnoses, preventive measures and treatment methods.  This funding will meet the growing demand for health care workers in the future as Michigan’s baby boomers get older.”

The East Central Michigan Health Care Foundation encompasses 14 counties, including Bay and Saginaw.  There are 2500 acute care hospital beds in the region and 17 hospitals ranging from rural health care centers to critical access hospitals.

The HRSA’s Nurse Education Practice and Retention Program is authorized by the Health Professions Education Partnerships Act of 1998.  The grant program assists in providing basic nurse education with a special emphasis on improving access to primary health care in medically underserved communities.  The program provides care for underserved populations and other high-risk groups such as the elderly, individuals with HIV-AIDS, substance abusers, the homeless, and victims of domestic violence.

Kildee is also a cosponsor of H.R. 4903, the National Nurse Act, to create an Office of the National Nurse within the Office of Public Health and Science to encourage individuals to enter the nursing profession.