HRSA ANEW Advanced Practice Nursing in Underserved & Rural Settings Education (APNURSE)

As of June 30, 2023, the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., and Richard J. Henley College of Nursing received four-year funding for a HRSA ANEW grant to increase the number of family nurse practitioners (FNP) and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) from diverse backgrounds trained to provide primary care services, mental health services, substance use disorder care, and maternal health care in underserved, community-based settings.

The HRSA ANEW Advanced Practice Nursing in Underserved and Rural Settings Education (APNURSE) Project will support students in Sacred Heart University’s MSN-FNP, MSN-PMHNP, Post-MSN FNP Certificate, Post-MSN PMHNP Certificate and BSN to DNP-FNP programs.

Key clinical partners are located in Bridgeport, CT, the state’s largest and most diverse city.

The APNURSE project will leverage the findings, best practices and lessons learned from SHU’s ALTOP project and will build on programming developed from prior HRSA-funded SHU projects to train, expand and diversify the advanced practice nursing workforce in and around Connecticut.

About HRSA & HRSA ANEW

The HRSA Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) Program is a federal grant program geared to fund projects that substantially benefit medically underserved populations.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $2,599,895 with 0% percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, visit HRSA.gov.

Awards & Funding

Over the four-year grant period, DHCON will provide an annual total of $450,000 in awards to eligible full-time and part-time students. In the prior grant year, 47 eligible full-time and part-time students received a portion of grant funds.

Information for Students

• Eligible students should have one or more clinical placements in medically underserved areas in HPSA sites
• Eligible DNP students are encouraged to focus their DNP projects on social determinants of health (SDoH)
• Applications will be accepted once a year and will open prior to the start of the fall semester
• Funds are not renewed annually. Awardees must reapply every year to review and determine eligibility for funds
• Completion of the FAFSA form will provide evidence of a student's financial need, and is highly encouraged.

Objectives

The following objectives are anticipated to reach HRSA’s ANEW goals during the four-year grant period (2023-2027):

• Increase enrollments of FNP and PMHNP students who express interest in working in underserved settings
• Provide curricular enhancements for all FNP and PMHNP students on the NP care of underserved populations and social determinants of health
• Increase the proportion of enrolled students in all NP programs who represent populations from diverse, disadvantaged and underrepresented minority groups
• Develop a process and culture that incorporates individualized student-specific interventions to address potential barriers to program completion
• Increase the number of full-time and part-time DHCON faculty from diverse, disadvantaged and underrepresented minority groups who teach in the NP programs
• Increase employment in HPSA and MUA settings of DHCON graduates of all NP programs including those from diverse, disadvantaged and underrepresented minority groups
• Foster and expand partnerships with clinical partners to meet the needs of underserved patients with primary care and behavioral health needs in underserved and rural locations

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