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- Wenatchee Valley College Nursing program receives four-year Health Resources and Services Administration grant
Wenatchee Valley College Nursing program receives four-year Health Resources and Services Administration grant
October 1, 2025
Media Contacts:
Dr. Jennifer Freese, Nursing Program Director, 509-682-6662, jfreese@wvc.edu
Marcine Miller, Exec utive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu
Wenatchee Valley College has been awarded a $2.9 million grant from the federal Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to significantly expand and enhance its
nursing program over the next four years. The grant, part of the Nurse Education,
Practice, Quality and Retention (NEPQR) Workforce Expansion Program, will help address
the critical shortage of nurses in North Central Washington.
This grant is focused on providing valuable training for nursing students and clinical
faculty/preceptors in the associate degree in nursing (ADN) program as they work in
acute and long-term care settings. The multi-year funding will be used to support
several key initiatives aimed at recruiting and retaining students and faculty, as
well as modernizing the college’s educational resources.
Key initiatives funded by the grant include support for students, with a total of
$840,000 in scholarships to help students cover tuition, books, and other expenses.
Freese said $12,000 in scholarships will be awarded to nursing program students who
meet the grant qualifications.
The grant provides funding for a retention specialist position dedicated to supporting
nursing students with remediation and academic needs. Additionally, the grant will
fund a new full-time faculty member and two part-time faculty members to lead classroom
and clinical instruction. The grant also provides professional development funds for
faculty to ensure they remain at the forefront of nursing education.
WVC will invest heavily in state-of-the-art simulation equipment, including new high-fidelity
manikins for adult, pediatric, and birthing scenarios. The grant will also support
the purchase of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software, allowing students to practice
charting and documentation in a realistic setting.
The grant was written and will be managed by Dr. Jenny Freese, director of Nursing
Programs, and Jessica Bravo-Perez, director of Grant Development.
“This significant investment underscores Wenatchee Valley College’s commitment to
preparing the next generation of highly skilled nurses and strengthening the healthcare
workforce in Central Washington,” Freese said.
HRSA programs provide health care to people who are geographically isolated and economically
or medically vulnerable, and they support health infrastructure, including the training
of health professionals and distributing them to areas where they are needed most,
providing financial support to health care providers, and advancing telehealth.
In a Nurse Workforce Projections report for 2022-2037, HRSA projected a 10 percent shortage of registered nurses in 2027 at the national
level, with a 6 percent shortage by 2037. Similarly, the number of LPNs will only
meet 64 percent of the demand. Washington state is predicted to be one of the top
ten states experiencing the highest number of shortages, with an estimated 22 percent
shortage by 2037.
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