PITTSBURG – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies – was at Pittsburg State University (PSU) today to announce two new grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund programs at the PSU Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing.

Sen. Moran speaking at the HRSA grant announcement at PSU. Photo courtesy of PSU.

“The PSU School of Nursing is a tremendous asset to our state and to the talented Kansans who aim to serve their community through medicine,” said Sen. Moran. “The school’s ability to bring federal grant dollars back to Kansas is extremely valuable, and the grants announced today will empower nurses to advance their education and place an emphasis on serving communities in need of their skills.”

“Notably, the ANE-SANE grant award will allow nurses at PSU to be trained in conducting sexual assault forensic examinations, allowing nurses to provide better physical and mental healthcare for survivors in moments of crisis,” continued Sen. Moran. “PSU will also establish a comprehensive Rural Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program that will benefit Crawford and surrounding counties, ensuring that victims of sexual assault receive the best care possible, no matter the size of the community. Through my position on the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue working to help Kansas healthcare providers and the federal government establish partnerships that benefit our Kansas communities.”

PSU is the recipient of two new HRSA grants. The first grant, the Advanced Nursing Education – Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (ANE-SANE), was awarded to only 19 academic institutions in the country. The grant aims to train providers that conduct sexual assault forensic examinations. These individuals would be equipped to provide better physical and mental healthcare for survivors, perform better evidence collection and have higher prosecution rates. This grant will enable PSU to establish a comprehensive rural sexual assault nurse examiners program.

The second grant, the Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention-Registered Nurses in Primary Care program (NEPQR), funds a four-year training program that will recruit and train nursing students and current registered nurses to practice to the full scope of their license in community-based primary care teams. This measure will increase access to care with an emphasis on chronic disease prevention and control, including mental health and substance abuse conditions. Specifically, the grant will provide tuition scholarships and laptops to 26 registered nurses who enroll at PSU to complete an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. PSU and community health agencies – many of which are in medically underserved areas – have partnered so that these students can earn the required clinical experience.

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