Stanislaus State has received a $161,000 grant from the Central California Alliance for Health, which it will use to purchase six human simulators for realistic and scenario-based training for students in its family nurse practitioner master’s program.
The Central California Alliance for Health is a regional non-profit Medi-Cal managed health care plan serving Santa Cruz, Monterey and Merced counties. In addition to the grant awarded to Stanislaus State, the Alliance also made a $750,000 grant to California State University, Monterey Bay, which it will use for staffing and clinical equipment startup costs for its physician assistant graduate program.
Stanislaus State launched its Master of Science in Nursing with a family nurse practitioner concentration program in Jan. 2018. Students in the two-year program engage in clinical training in health care practices in Stanislaus and Merced counties that support the region’s Medi-Cal members. Applications for spring 2019 semester will be accepted in Aug. 2018.
“Our master’s program with a family nurse practitioner concentration is in the unique position to address the provider shortage in our region, as it’s the only face-to-face FNP program in the Central Valley,” said Debra Tavernier, director of the School of Nursing at Stanislaus State. “We are pleased that several clinics in Merced County have agreed to host students for clinical rotations, including many high volume Medi-Cal providers. Our goal is to support our family nurse practitioner students to remain in the local area after graduation and continue to serve the Medi-Cal population through employment at these clinics.”
The shortage of health care practitioners in the region has been magnified since the 2010 Affordable Care Act as more residents received coverage. In response, the Alliance launched the Medi-Cal Capacity Grant Program, which aims to expand provider capacity and increase Medi-Cal members’ access to timely, high-quality health care services. To date, 388 grants totaling $65.3 million have been awarded across eight unique grant programs. The Alliance has supported the successful addition of 96 new health care providers in its tri-county service area.
“To increase the number of medical professionals in the region, short and long-term innovative solutions, will be needed to address this challenge,” said Stephanie Sonnenshine, chief executive officer at the Alliance. “There are many factors contributing to the provider shortage, such as a growing population demanding primary care services, and a low number of newly licensed practitioners to replace those who are retiring. We are hopeful that with investments in higher education and other workforce programs, progress will be made.”