Bemidji State University To Improve Nursing Workforce Diversity Through Grant

Starting in July, Bemidji State University (BSU) will receive a $449, 887 grant to improve diversity in the nation’s nursing workforce by offering scholarships and financial support to as many as 12 American Indian nursing students.

The grant is part of a four-year project and is funded by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) Nursing Workforce Diversity program, which could extend to a total of $2 million for three additional years based on available funding and satisfactory progress.

HHS has been funding Nursing Workforce Diversity projects since 2012, and the Niganawenimaanaanig program is the first to be funded in the state of Minnesota.

“At Bemidji State University, we believe that American Indian student success relies heavily on social, cultural, academic and financial support, and the Niganawenimaanaanig project exemplifies that belief,” said Dr. Faith C. Hensrud, president of Bemidji State and Northwest Technical College. “We are committed to doing whatever we can to recruit, retain and graduate our American Indian students. With this project, that commitment will be evident as we take care of our students through their entire journey toward a degree in nursing.”

The Nursing Workforce Diversity program wants to increase nursing education opportunities for individuals with disadvantaged backgrounds, including ethnic and racial minorities who are underrepresented in the registered nursing profession.

American Indian nursing students can begin taking advantage of the program beginning this fall.

BSU’s grant is one of 29 distributed by the HHS Nursing Workforce Diversity program for 2017 valued at more than $13.16 million.