Georgia Southwestern to receive GEER II health care funds

AMERICUS — Georgia Southwestern State University will receive $866,723 from the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER II), which will be used to cover the cost of all new state-of-the-art patient simulators and a complete biology lab renovation.

Gov. Brian Kemp announced earlier this week a total of more than $47 million in emergency assistance funds would be earmarked to support K-12 and higher education entities as they continue to address the disruptions and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kemp expressed that educators play a critical role in providing the work force needed to combat the health and economic effects of the pandemic. He designated $3.1 million to the education-to-work force pipeline for health care to “support the need for more nurses and additional training with a special emphasis on expanding educational opportunities to more areas of the state and providing hands-on learning experiences.”

Georgia Southwestern is one of only three University System of Georgia institutions to receive funding in this area, including Fort Valley State and Middle Georgia State.

“We are extremely pleased to be a recipient of this funding as GSW works to expand the existing nursing program and graduate more nurses,” GSW President Neal Weaver, said in a news release. “Our local and regional health care partners, including long-term care and acute care institutions, have reported the need for more registered nurses with both associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, and we are working to make that happen.”

GSW’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences has doubled the size of its nursing program in the last two years by adding a new admissions cycle in the spring. Additionally, GSW will bring back an Associate of Science in Nursing degree in fall 2022. These combined efforts will help meet the demands of the regional and statewide nursing shortage.

The state’s funding, in addition to contributions from Phoebe Putney Health System and Magnolia Manor, will go toward three primary elements: a new biology lab space to accommodate the increase in students, a dedicated biology faculty member to address the unique needs of these pre-nursing students, and a simulation lab that provides an experience as close to that in the health care environment as possible.

GSW’s School of Nursing currently offers the traditional bachelor’s degree program, online RN-BSN, and online master’s degree, and graduates just over 100 nurses each year.

For more information on GSW’s accredited nursing program and nursing scholarships, visit www.gsw.edu/nursing, email [email protected] or call (229) 931-2275.

Special Photo: GSW