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State grant aims to help rural communities

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has been awarded a 2.5 million dollar federal grant to address healthcare staffing shortages in rural communities throughout the state.

The funding is through the U.S. Department of Labor’s H–1b Rural Healthcare Grant Program which supports employment and training programs in healthcare in rural populations.

The pandemic has increased the need for healthcare workers, particularly in rural areas where there was already an existing need.

Over the next four years, the grant will support the addition of more than 430 new healthcare workers for communities in need.

The grant program aims to help individuals gain the skills necessary to provide needed services, fill vacancies and allow employers to find skilled workers more readily.