RELEASE: Pappas, Shaheen, and Hassan Announce $700,000 HHS Grant to Expand University of New Hampshire’s Nurse Practitioner Program

Manchester, NH- Today Representative Chris Pappas joined Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan in announcing a $700,000 grant for the University of New Hampshire’s Nurse Practitioner Program. These funds, granted through Health and Human Service’s Advanced Nursing Education Workforce program, will allow UNH to work with healthcare providers throughout New Hampshire to address the behavioral health and opioid crises. The grant will fund 23 nurse practitioner students annually who will be immersed in high need areas of the state to strengthen the integration of primary and behavioral health. Currently more than 65 percent of UNH nurse practitioner students are committed to working in rural and underserved areas.

“Current and anticipated shortages in primary care across NH are paralyzing the state’s healthcare system,” says Marcy Doyle, Clinical and Quality Improvement Director at UNH’s Institute for Health Policy and Practice and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Nursing. “Our UNH team is so grateful for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Advanced Nursing Education Workforce funding for The UNH Partnership for Academic Clinical Telepractice. These funds will support nurse practitioner training and emphasize the use of technology for patient care and learning.” 

“As our state continues to grapple with the opioid epidemic and an aging population, nurse practitioners play a vital role in addressing these challenges and delivering health care in rural and underserved areas,” said Congressman Pappas. “This federal investment will go a long way in helping the University of New Hampshire continue to serve our community by providing more nurse practitioners in areas of need.”

“I am pleased to see these federal dollars be awarded to the University of New Hampshire in support of their nurse practitioner program, which will create jobs and address the serious and widespread shortage of qualified heath care workers throughout the state,” said Senator Shaheen, a senior member on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Nurse practitioners are crucial to meeting the demands on our health care system, allowing it to better respond to challenges New Hampshire faces, including the opioid crisis and an aging population. I will keep working to secure federal resources that will improve quality of life for Granite Staters.”  

“This $700,000 grant will help prepare nursing students at the University of New Hampshire for the unique health care challenges that face rural and underserved areas of the state, improving health care for citizens across our state,” Senator Hassan said.

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