Shaheen, Hassan & Kuster Announce More than $1.2 Million to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to Address Health Care Workforce Shortages in Rural NH

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon $1,231,238 in federal funding to help address health care workforce shortages communities in rural New Hampshire are facing. Specifically, the funding was awarded through the DOL Employment and Training Administration’s H-1B Rural Healthcare Grant Program, which supports employment and training programs that increase the number of individuals training in health care occupations that will serve rural communities across the country.

“New Hampshire’s health care workforce shortage is a serious issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially challenging for rural Granite State communities, where the loss of even one provider can significantly reduce access to health care and seriously hinder response efforts to this public health emergency,” said Senator Shaheen. “This federal funding is an important step to address this shortage and ensure Granite Staters living in rural communities can continue to access the services they need to stay healthy and safe. I’ll continue to work in the Senate to deliver additional federal support to our frontline providers and workers.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has further underscored the urgent need to address longstanding workforce shortages in rural communities across New Hampshire, particularly in our health care sector,” Senator Hassan said. “This $1.2 million federal grant to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center will help bolster workforce trainings programs and provide the hospital with the highly skilled workforce that it needs to provide quality health care now and in the future. I will keep working across the aisle to strengthen job training programs, which will be key to rebuilding our economy as we come out of the pandemic.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the need for more health care workers in rural areas like those Dartmouth-Hitchcock serves,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “This funding will help address the urgent health care workforce needs in rural Granite State communities and in turn help our state combat the COVID-19 crisis. I will continue working to ensure New Hampshire has the support, resources and funding it needs to get through the COVID-19 pandemic.”