What is the HRSA grant?

In 2019, Grand Valley State University's (GVSU) Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) received a $2.8 million grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This grant facilitated a partnership between KCON, McLaren Health Care (MHC), and Trinity Health Muskegon (THM) to recruit and train nurses enrolled in KCON's Adult/Older Adult and Child/Adolescent Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program tracks. With the support of the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) funding, GVSU successfully educated, trained, and graduated 17 Doctor of Nursing Practice students from rural and underserved areas, all committed to providing health care in their communities.

In response to the critical need for primary care and mental health services, GVSU KCON successfully secured a four-year (7/1/2023-6/30/2027) ANEW continuation grant from HRSA, totaling approximately $2.6 million. KCON continued their partnership with MHC and THM to recruit and educate an additional 39 nurse practitioners, who are underrepresented minorities or from a disadvantaged background, to provide primary, mental, and substance use disorder health care in rural and/or underserved communities in Michigan. The program has expanded to include three program tracks: Adult/Older Adult Primary Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. The inaugural HRSA ANEW cohort has enrolled in the Fall 2023 semester and is expected to graduate in May 2026.