Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced a nearly $2 million investment on Thursday to improve the state’s nursing work force. Twenty grant recipients, which span 28 counties including Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery, will receive $679,933 to expand clinical education for nurses and $1.1 million to purchase training equipment. Combined with a minimum of $2.1 million in private-sector matching funds the total investment will reach about $3.9 million, the Governor’s Office reported. “We are faced with the serious challenge of finding skilled, qualified individuals to meet the health-care needs of the commonwealth’s aging population,” Rendell said. “By training more nurses — and by using state-of-the-art equipment for that training — Pennsylvania will have more graduates on the job who are qualified from day one to deliver the quality care our citizens need and deserve.”

All the grants will be funneled through county work force investment boards. They are part of $7.5 million in funding in the state budget aimed at addressing the state’s nursing shortage. Read more