Feds sending millions to South Dakota to address nursing shortage

Nursing scholarships, small hospitals and clinics targeted with grants awarded to USD, Sanford Health

(Hush Naidoo Jade Photography)

South Dakota’s nursing shortage projections are among the most severe in the country.

Analysis by leading healthcare industry experts show the Mount Rushmore State will need thousands of nurses in the coming years, and with a historically low unemployment rate and high rates of burnout and turnover in the nursing field, particularly in rural areas, the U.S. Department of Labor is sending millions to South Dakota in hopes of staving off a potential crisis.

Sanford Health and the University of South Dakota nursing department are among just 25 healthcare agencies in the country that are set to receive a portion of $78 million in grants aimed at standing up innovative workforce training programs to cultivate future crops of nurses.

“The grants we’re awarding today recognize the burden so many nurses have shouldered for too long by supporting programs to expand and diversify the workforce,” Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training Brent Parton said in a statement announcing the grant recipients. “These investments will also help to ensure the nation’s well-being and continue to strengthen our care economy using proven practices and strategies.”

NEWS: State health plan administrator sued for denying cancer treatment