Wayne State scores $900K grant for healthcare education

Wayne State University has received a $900,000 federal grant to help steer more people in urban areas like Detroit toward healthcare careers.

Health Resources and Services Administration gave the two-year grant to Wayne State to create a state-wide Area Health Education Center program. The University of Detroit-Mercy is also participating in the grant. Representatives from both colleges will work together to expand and retain Michigan's primary-care healthcare workforce, such as nurses and medical assistants.

"It will create jobs," says Barbara Redman, dean of the College of Nursing at Wayne State University. "It will also create them in the areas where is demand."

The goal of the Michigan Great Lakes Area Health Education Center program is to encourage more people in economically challenged areas, such as urban centers and rural communities, to pursue careers in healthcare fields like nursing. The hope is the increased interest in these careers will help satisfy the growing demand for quality healthcare workers in places where there is a short supply.

Source: Barbara Redman, dean of the College of Nursing at Wayne State University
Writer: Jon Zemke

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