CONTACT - Volume 9, Number 1
Division of Nursing Receives over $300,000 in Grants

Judy Czerenda, MSN, ARNP
Grants Coordinator

The Division of Nursing was fortunate to have received five grants over the last year to support new and ongoing projects. The Hugoton Foundation provided $63,000 to renovate and equip the health centers at four inner-city Catholic schools served by the Primary Care Nursing Center (PCNC). The funds will be used to provide much needed upgrades to each facility.

A $20,000 grant from the St. Francis Medical and Health Care Services, Inc., administered by the Allegany Franciscan Foundation funded the design and implementation of a training program to prepare parent liaisons for PCNC schools. Supervised by a Barry nurse practitioner, in addition to other duties, the liaisons make home visits to difficult-to-reach families providing health information and referral services.

Two additional grants were obtained for the Parent Liaison Project including a $95,000 award from the Health Foundation of South Florida and a $74,951 grant from the State of Florida Department of Health KidCare Outreach Program. A second Health Foundation of South Florida grant for $55,995 will support a PCNC nurse practitioner at Gratigny Elementary Full Service School.

Dean Balcerski notes, "the grants provide much needed support to programs currently in place and will serve as a foundation on which to build future funding efforts. Our mission to serve our community is greatly enhanced and expanded by these grants and the generous support of our other benefactors. We are appreciative of each gift, large or small, that helps us to meet the needs of our students and community neighbors."