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"Nurses combine professionalism with compassion to provide good, quality patient care. As the demand for health care grows, it's absolutely critical that we encourage more of our nation's top students to choose careers in nursing," Secretary Thompson said.

HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration will award 94 grants totaling more than $20.1 million to 82 colleges, universities and other organizations to increase the number of nurses with bachelor's and advanced degrees, help diversify the nurse workforce, and prepare more nurses to serve in public health leadership roles.

"The grants recognize the fact that increasing opportunities to pursue nursing degrees will pay off in the long term with a nurse workforce able to meet the diverse health care needs of America's families and individuals," said HRSA Acting Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke.

In addition, another $7.3 million will go to repay educational loans of clinical care nurses who agree to work for two years in designated public or nonprofit health facilities facing a critical shortage of nurses. This funding for HRSA's Nursing Education Loan Repayment Plan includes an extra $5 million that Secretary Thompson transferred to HRSA this summer in order to address the emerging nursing shortage.

The additional funds will allow HRSA to more than double the number of repayment contracts available to nurses practicing in designated shortage facilities. More information is available by calling 1-800-435-6464 and at www.bphc.hrsa.gov/programs/NELRProgramInfo.HTM.

The $20.1 million in other grants include:

• 53 Advanced Education Nursing grants, totaling more than $13 million, which fund education for students who graduate as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, nurse educators, nurse administrators and public health nurses.

• 29 Basic Nurse Education and Practice grants, totaling $4.9 million, which strengthen the basic nurse workforce by increasing the enrollment of students in bachelor's-degree nursing programs. The grants also are used to operate nurse-managed centers that improve access to primary care and serve as clinical training sites in medically underserved areas.

• 10 Nursing Workforce Diversity grants, totaling $1.8 million, which support activities that help nursing candidates and students from disadvantaged backgrounds complete their nursing education.

• Two Public Health Nursing Leadership grants, totaling nearly $400,000, which help schools of nursing and schools of public health develop master's-degree nursing education programs that prepare nurses to serve in leadership roles in state and local public health agencies.

A full list of the colleges, universities and other organizations receiving these awards is available at www.hrsa.gov/newsroom/releases/2001%20Releases/nurseshortage.htm

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