Addressing the Nursing Shortage in Southeast and Deep East Texas
Coalition Lead Applicant: Lamar State College - Port Arthur
Region (applicant-defined): Southeast and Deep East Texas (Jefferson, Hardin, Chambers, Orange, Newton, and Jasper counties)
Cluster Sector(s): Health Care Services
Coalition Overarching Narrative (applicant submitted) (PDF)
Project Description:
The Southeast and Deep East Texas region, led by Lamar State College - Port Arthur, aims to address the nursing shortage within its health care services cluster. If provided an implementation grant, the coalition proposes to enhance specific facilities to allow for advanced nursing education and open others for nursing clinical placements for the first time. To increase the volume of student graduates, the participating colleges and universities in the coalition plan to support the cluster by completely reworking the system by which they recruit incoming nursing students, including creating new inroads into communities of lower socioeconomic standing, communities of color, and rural communities to increase the number of student applicants. The proposed infrastructure projects would also increase local capacity to train these students. Finally, a proposed technical assistance program for nursing entrepreneurship would provide guidance for nurses to invest in businesses of their own, designed to bring a robust system of small business and innovation to support the local industry.