Initiative
denies nursing grants
By Kari Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal
State Long Beach’s nursing department was
denied a $2.7 million grant Monday from
Gov. Gray Davis’ work force initiative.
The department was looking to start an accelerated
program in spring 2003 for students with
a bachelor’s degree, who would want to go
into nursing. This program would have allowed
students to get a bachelor’s of science
in nursing in 60 weeks.
Loucine Huckabay, director and professor
of the nursing department, said that most
welfare organizations received the grant.
These organizations are looking to use the
money to prepare people who are on welfare
to be nurse’s aids, which would provide
career mobility.
The department is now looking into other
ways, including University College and Extension
Services, to bring the accelerated program
to campus.
“The type of help we need, all schools need,
is funding for two things: hiring faculty
for more sections and space for more classrooms,”
Huckabay said. “If we can hire faculty,
we can increase our enrollment.”
The nursing department had to cut its budget
last year by about $100,000 and are expecting
about a 16 percent to 20 percent cut this
year, which means admission into the department
is very competitive.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health
Services is facing reduced funding by hundreds
of millions of dollars because of new rules
and budget actions. The department is expecting
a deficit of around $700 million by July
1, 2005, according to its Web site.
Because of the deficit, 11 clinics were
closed throughout the county as of Oct.
1.
“There are still patients, but not enough
nurses,” Huckabay said.
Patients who need on-going care will be
assigned to another health care facility,
according to the Health Services Web site.
The nursing department still stands strong
despite the clinic closures because local
hospitals have been using CSULB nursing
students for a long time.
“They love our students, we have a specialization
in our last semester, so they don’t need
that much orientation, except orientation
to the hospital,” Huckabay said.
“Now the nurses are in a better position
to ask for what they want, than before the
shortage,” Huckabay said.
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