Governor says nearly $400M in nursing education investments is paying off

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took a victory lap at a press conference in Daytona Beach, celebrating nearly $400 million in nursing investments over the last three years to educate and train nurses, the central nerve in the health care delivery workforce.

DeSantis, whose mother was a nurse, on Tuesday said there are more than 3 million registered nurses in the state. But he said that isn’t enough to gird the workforce against a growing and aging Baby Boomer population. DeSantis committed to continue funding two education programs aimed at increasing the number of working nurses in the state.

One program is called PIPELINE, an acronym that stands for “prepping institutions, programs, employers and learners through incentives for nursing education.” The $100 million program rewards colleges and universities for nursing education programs based on student achievement and student success.

The second program is called LINE, an acronym for “linking the industry to nursing education.” The matching grant program initially received $25 million, but the Legislature upped the funding to $30 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2023-24 budget, which provides funding through June 30, 2025.

The investments are paying off. According to state officials, enrollment in Associate of Science and nursing programs in state colleges has increased by 25% from state fiscal year 2021-22 to FY 23-24, jumping from 12,456 to 15,636. The number of students completing nursing programs during that same time span increased by 24%, jumping from 2,595 to 3,214. In FY 23-24, 7,498 students completed a nursing program, which is the highest number in three years. 

Nursing programs run the gamut from certified nursing assistant to licensed practical nurses to registered nurses, each of which requires a different educational background.

The Governor said state university system (SUS) schools have expanded their capacity in nursing programs and that the SUS recently graduated 1,800 nurses, a record-high.

 “So I’m pleased to announce with that type of record we’re going to be supporting when we do the budget next year, a full renewal of these programs,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis held the press conference at Daytona State College, which has been the beneficiary of $9 million in increased funding for nursing education.

“And that has been used well and I know they are making a lot of it,” the Governor noted.

DeSantis said the state college received,$1.9 million in LINE funding, which means it required a dollar for dollar match. To that end, DeSantis noted that Halifax Health directed $1 million to Daytona State College and Advent Health another $900,000.

Jeff Feasel, President and CEO of Halifax Health said the health system that operates in Volusia and Flagler counties “goes way back.” Feasel, who has been at the hospital for 24 years, said Daytona State College was producing 30 nurses annually when he first arrived at the hospital. He recalled meeting with state college officials who told him at the time they could increase the number of graduates coming from the college if Halifax provided Daytona State College with two adjunct professors and gave the state college two years to accomplish the goal.

“That was 30 nurses a year; today, the nursing slots at Daytona State College are over 400 and expanding,” Feasel said.

A 2021 Florida Hospital Association analysis showed that Florida was expected to have an overall shortage of 59,000 nurses by 2035. The Legislature responded to the findings and in 2022 agreed to create the PIPELINE and LINE programs and included funding for the programs in the education budget.

DeSantis praised the nursing profession at the press conference and recalled his experience growing up the son of a nurse.

“You know, my mom was a nurse for 40-plus years. And I remember as a kid, I’d have strangers come up to me thanking me for how, you know, for her taking care of them. And so it really makes a difference in the patient experience, and especially in these very difficult situations, as you get nurses in critical care situations, or for the pediatrics. I mean, these are really, really major things, and to have good quality people there, you really can’t put a price tag on it. I mean, it really, really is meaningful.“