Congresswoman Chellie Pingree secures funding for USM nursing school and green jobs initiative in Maine

The Labor, Health and Education Appropriations Act passed the U.S. House this afternoon, including funding that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree requested for nursing training and clean energy business development.

Pingree secured $700,000 in federal funding for nursing training at the University of Southern Maine and the creation of a green energy business imitative through Coastal Enterprises, Incorporated (CEI).
 
USM will receive $450,000 to fund expansion of their Nursing Simulation Laboratory. A limited number of clinical placements for nursing students is a stumbling block to increasing enrollment in nursing programs, but simulation can be integrated into coursework to overcome that hurdle.
 
“Nurses are at the front line of our health care system,” Pingree said. “There is a big demand for new nurses, and this funding will help USM meet that demand.”
 
Funding for $250,000 was approved for CEI to help launch their Green Business Investment and Job Creation Initiative. This initiative would help businesses develop through investment, workforce development and research and development focused on clean energy jobs.
 
“Clean energy jobs are the jobs of the future in Maine,” Pingree said. “And we need to encourage the development of the businesses that will create those jobs.”
 
“This legislation is an important part of our broader economic strategy,” Pingree said.  “It allows us to provide short-term help to those who need it most, while making long-term investments in building up our workforce and helping our youth get the skills they need to succeed in the jobs of the future.”
 
The legislation shores up programs that serve as crucial social safety nets for many Americans struggling to make ends meet in this recession.  It includes funding to provide jobs, meals and other support services to impoverished seniors, as well as critical energy assistance programs that help heat and cool low-income homes.  The bill also funds grants that allow states to provide health care to more of their uninsured residents.

To build and train the next generation of workers, this bill includes funding to recruit and train health professionals in underserved areas and encourages our brightest doctors and scientists to develop the latest medical discoveries that will keep Americans healthy and reduce health care costs.
 
“This bill gives our workers the tools they need to thrive in a new clean energy economy and provides aid to veterans and those workers that were recently affected by mass layoffs,” Pingree said. “At the same time, we fund new and existing programs to improve education for our young people and help them succeed in college and beyond.  As the workforce of the future, we must ensure that they are ready for the challenges of a 21st century global economy.”