The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) and 11 of its member hospitals have been awarded grants through the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Rural Healthcare Initiatives program to support workforce development efforts in rural communities.
THA will use this grant funding to support the THA Nurse Residency Program, a structured transition-to-practice program for newly graduated LPNs and RNs that provides monthly professional development and clinical education. The program helps Tennessee hospitals improve nurse retention, build confidence among new nurses, and strengthen the overall quality of patient care.
“This investment will directly strengthen Tennessee’s rural healthcare workforce at a critical time,” said Ferrol Thomas, THA Director of Workforce Strategies. “Funding for the THA Nurse Residency Program will help smaller hospitals better connect new graduate nurses to the training and support they need to succeed and stay in their communities.”
THA member hospitals receiving Rural Healthcare Initiatives grants include:
- Baptist Memorial Hospital – Union City
- Covenant Health – Roane
- Covenant Health – Fort Loudon
- Erlanger Hospital – Bledsoe
- Huntsville Hospital Lincoln Health
- Macon Community Hospital
- Maury Regional Medical Center
- Prisma Health – Blount Memorial
- Sweetwater Hospital Association
- UT Medical Center
- Williamson Health
The grants reflect a continued state commitment to building stronger healthcare workforce pathways in rural Tennessee and supporting hospitals as they recruit, train, and retain the professionals their communities depend on.
More information and the full list of recipients is available here.