News & UpdatesAlmost every state in the country has a shortage of nurses, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, there are pervasive, systemic inequities for BIPOC representation in nursing pathways today, particularly among higher-paid positions and occupations. Changing these outcomes requires a combination of evidence-based, culturally responsive, high-impact, and scalable strategies to meet the needs of local and regional labor markets and reduce equity gaps.
Through a comprehensive review process, Achieving the Dream (ATD) announced on November 7, 2022, that ten community colleges from the ATD Network received a grant as part of the Accelerating and Diversifying Nursing Pathways at Community Colleges initiative. Made possible by support from the Brave of Heart Fund, the initiative supports community colleges as they create stronger pathways to employment in the nursing field, particularly for BIPOC and first-generation students.
The selected ten community colleges demonstrated commitment to increasing access and accelerating the completion of valuable nursing credentials for BIPOC and first-generation students. Each college will receive $300,000 disbursed over the grant period, November 1, 2022 – May 31, 2025. ATD will also provide the institutions with the Institutional Capacity & Assessment Tool (ICAT), virtual coaching hours for implementation and continuous improvement, and peer-learning opportunities starting with the virtual kickoff on November 17, 2022.
Susan Mayer, chief learning officer at ATD, says, ‘’We are proud to partner with these ten colleges with the support of the Brave of Heart Fund to increase the number of nurses in the workforce, diversify the nursing pathways, and accelerate the completion of valuable credentials. We will be working closely with the colleges to understand the impact the implementation of instructional, support and system strategies have on improving leading indicators of longer-term outcomes.” The funds are intended to develop further, test, scale, and document sustainable processes, policies, programs, and solutions that accelerate and increase enrollment and completion of nursing credentials.
List of colleges:
- Austin Community College
- Bay College
- Community College of Philadelphia
- Cuyahoga Community College
- Kingsborough Community College
- Lorain County Community College
- Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
- Northern Essex Community College
- Northern Virginia Community College
- Pierce College District
This initiative is made possible by a grant from the Brave of Heart Fund and designed to address the shortage of nurses, particularly BIPOC nurses, and systemic inequities in nursing pathways. The Brave of Heart Fund was established by the Foundations of New York Life and Cigna, and administered by E4E Relief, to provide charitable grants and emotional support services to families of the frontline healthcare workers, volunteers, and support staff whose lives were lost in the fight against COVID-19. It continues to offer support via partnerships with nonprofit organizations aligned with the fund’s core purposes. To learn more, please review the Brave of Heart Fund impact summary.