Can Grant Funding Help West Virginia Nursing Schools Address Workforce Shortage?

• Nearly two dozen West Virginia nursing schools have received grant funding to address the state’s shortage of nurses. 
• The funding comes through the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, which was established under then-Gov. Jim Justice. 
• The most recent round of funding is the third for the program. 

West Virginia has a nursing shortage of 19%, but a statewide grant program that just released its latest round of funding is closing that gap. 

Nearly two dozen universities and technical colleges received thousands of dollars through the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program to bolster their nursing programs. 

“By investing in our future nurses, we’ve set new records for nursing graduates in West Virginia,” then-Gov. Jim Justice stated in a news release last September. “Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and this initiative ensures we’re not just filling jobs, but equipping these healthcare heroes with the best training and support possible. This is a historic step forward for our state, and it’s only the beginning of what we can accomplish to strengthen our healthcare workforce.” 

History of the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program 

Justice established the workforce expansion program in 2021 with an investment of $26 million specifically for education. 

The state saw a nearly 15% increase in RN students graduating with an associate degree from 2022 to 2023, according to the news release. 

“In comparison, the total number of nursing graduates among all degree levels in 2023 was approximately 15% higher than a decade ago,” the release stated. 

Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education, also said at the time that the investments will “more strongly position” the state to improve its nursing workforce. 

Efforts to address West Virgnia’s nursing shortage date back as far as 2005, when the West Virginia Center for Nursing was established on the recommendation of the Nursing Shortage Study Commission. The group’s work resulted in a strategic plan that was made public in February 2024. 

The most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data lists West Virginia at No. 2 for states with the highest concentration of “jobs and location quotients” for RNs with employment at early 21,000. 

West Virginia Nursing Schools

Among the 23 West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program grant recipients are: 

• Southern WV Community & Technical College: $512,000   
• West Virginia Wesleyan College: $1.5 million  
• West Virginia University at Parkersburg: $566,000 
• Blue Ridge Community and Technical College: $571,442   
• Fairmont State University: $1 million 
• Pierpont Community & Technical College: $477,000 

West Virginia Wesleyan College is receiving funding through the program for the third year in a row. Dr. Kimberly White, School of Nursing director, said in a news release that the institution will continue investing in recruitment and retention along with accepting students into its new LPN to BSN hybrid/weekend program. 

Other recipients, like West Virginia University and Parkersburg, plan to allocate the funding to “several key initiatives” intended to enhance the nursing program ranging from state-of-the-art technology to book bundles for the fall 2025 cohort. 

The Bottom Line

West Virginia has continued to fund its nursing workforce expansion program for the third year in a row. More than 20 West Virginia nursing schools, universities and technical colleges received grant funding to help address the state’s nursing workforce shortage. 

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