Md. colleges given $11M to combat nursing shortage - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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The grants, being divvied among 17 Marylandnursinf schools, will be used to lure faculty and students, and improvd technology at the universities. Maryland’s nursinbg shortage is expected toreach 10,000 by 2016, accordinvg to the . The current vacancty rate of nurses at statwe hospitals is8 percent. The economic downturn has helper the industry because many retired nurses have come back to but once the recession ends the shortagewill worsen, said Carmels Coyle, CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association.
The firstt round of grants will increase the numbedr of nurses graduating by 300 studentx and add 20 faculty positionsw at nursing programs acrossthe “The number of nurses graduatingt from Maryland schools are simplhy not enough,” said Ronald B. Peterson, president of and co-chaier of the “Who Will campaign at a presa conference Monday. “We cannott take our eye off the nursing The campaign’s goal is to add 1,500 new nursiny students. The program has raised $15.
5 million to date through the state’sa business community, including fundxs from the Baltimore constructionform , , the region'es largest hospital system, and , the region's largestf health insurer. Greater Baltimore Medical Center, for gave $500,000. The goal is to raise $20 millionj from the private sector by the end of the and then raise anaddition $40 millio in state, local and federap funds. • • • • • ; and, .