Holy Name gets $3.8M in federal funds for nurse training

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Holy Name Hospital’s Sister Claire Tynan School of Nursing will receive $3.8 million in federal funding to help train more nurses amid a shortage of professionals many experts attribute, at least in part, to pandemic-era burnout.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th District, announced the investment June 1 at an event at the Holy Name campus in Englewood Cliffs. “The COVID pandemic left behind a record level of burnout and our nation is facing a record nursing shortage, including right here in New Jersey,” Gottheimer said in prepared remarks. “Nationwide, about 100,000 registered nurses left the workplace because of the stresses of the pandemic. And another 800,000 said they intend to leave by 2027.”

He added that New Jersey ranks among the top 10 states with the most unfilled registered nurse positions, at more than 13,000. And state officials forecast a shortage of 11,400 nurses by 2030 — the third highest in the nation.

According to Gottheimer’s office the funding will allow Holy Name to invest in more faculty and simulation training for students, along with purchasing additional supplies and equipment. In addition, the funds will help promote affordability for prospective nurses and help keep more doctors and nurses in the state.

“It’s up to us to provide the best education, help build the pipeline of clinicians, and provide the top-notch care all patients deserve,” said Holy Name President and CEO Michael Maron. “The funding secured by Congressman Gottheimer in the TRAIN Act is critical going forward as we are positioned to train more nurses in the future.”

The nursing shortage has prompted an array of responses from schools and government agencies in recent months. For example, in March New Jersey City University said it would receive $782,000 in federal funds to increase access to the school’s online nursing education program. The expansion will provide remote and online instruction, flexible tutorial and mentoring schedules, and advance simulation technology, while offering a wide range of academic and non-academic support.

A month earlier, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration awarded the Rutgers School of Nursing a $950,650 grant to expand training opportunities. The funds will be used for simulated clinical learning exercises, enabling the school to increase admissions by at least 25%, according to the school.