Hartford HealthCare Commits to Adding 1,000 Nursing Positions Annually for 5 Years.
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Hartford HealthCare, in a pivotal collaboration with the state, outlined a push to add 1,000 nursing positions to its ranks each year for the next five years in an effort to address a dire shortage in the field. President and CEO Jeffrey Flaks announced the initiative as part of a press conference, in partnership with state officials, detailed plans for spending millions in federal American Rescue Act dollars expanding numbers of nursing and healthcare professionals.
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Of $72 million in funding, $20 million will help pay tuition for those pursuing nursing and social work, $35 million will be spent increasing the number of faculty needed to teach added students, and $17 million will be put toward student loan forgiveness.
Flaks said companies like Hartford HealthCare need to help with such initiatives, especially after the two-year pandemic strained the healthcare system and its workers, 43 percent of whom are over the age of 50.
“Has there ever been a time, more than this moment, where we saw the value of nurses – the importance, the courage, the bravery, the discretionary effort, the clinical excellence, and the way it was exhibited. When others were told to stay home and stay in place, nurses ran into these organizations to care for us,” he said.
For more information, HartfordHealthCare.org
