Duluth, GA — Today, Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-07) announced that $500,000 will be awarded to Emory University. This money will fund an apprenticeship program in the School of Nursing and is a direct result of the Congresswoman’s joint efforts with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock to expand access to affordable healthcare and support workforce development through Georgia’s nationally recognized colleges and universities. McBath and Warnock made a FY2023 Community Project Funding/Congressionally-Directed Spending request for this funding.
“This award from the Department of Education will ensure that Emory University continues to be a preeminent institution to equip the next generation of nurses,” McBath said. “My mother was a hospital nurse, and I grew up watching the heart and soul she poured into patient care. I have witnessed the instrumental role nurses play in our nation’s healthcare system. They worked on the frontlines through a bitter pandemic and continue to standby to save lives in ICUs and operating rooms across the nation. I was proud to support this Community Project Funding request with Senator Warnock and I look forward to hearing the stories of future nurses who will succeed with the support this money will provide.”
“Long before I was in the Senate, I’ve been working to address inequities in our health care system, and I’ve been steadfast in working to end disparities in health care access and health outcomes,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “I’m acutely aware of the stress that our brave health care workforce has been under these last several years, which is why I was proud to partner with Rep. McBath in helping to secure funds to fuel the next generation of nurses and help us all better tackle the health care challenges we face.”
“This award will provide a great opportunity for students in our prelicensure programs,” said Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, FRCN, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory. “This apprenticeship experience will prepare our students for careers of exceptional care—and equip them with the agency and confidence to stay in the field, positively affecting nursing retention and workforce development. We are grateful to our federal partners and legislators for seeing this need and contributing to this important work.”
To meet the needs of communities across the United States, the Appropriations Committee accepts Community Project Funding and Programmatic requests from Members of Congress. For fiscal year 2023, Members were required to post every Community Project Funding request on their official House website following the House Appropriations Committee’s 15-day review period. As a final step in the process, the fiscal year 2023 government funding legislation included Community Project Funding for the House and Congressionally-Directed Spending on the part of the Senate.