FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Heritage University Awarded $2.5 Million Federal Grant to
Build Rural Nursing Workforce Pipeline

Toppenish, Wash. – Heritage University has been awarded a $2.5 million federal Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) Grant to create a new pathway connecting rural high school students in the Lower Yakima Valley with nursing education, clinical experience and employment at local health care organizations.

The four-year grant, running Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2030, will support “A Case-Managed Pathway from Rural High Schools to Local Hospitals.” The initiative will help rural, first-generation and low-income students from 11 area high schools enter and complete Heritage’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and pursue careers in the region.

“This grant allows Heritage University to build a stronger bridge between our rural high schools, higher education and the health care organizations that serve our communities,” said Heritage University President Christopher Gilmer. “We want students to see a clear path from their own communities to a college degree, a nursing career and an opportunity to serve the people and communities they know best.”

Led by Heritage University Department of Nursing Chair Dr. Shelby Clark, DNP, RN, the project brings together Heritage, local schools, health care providers, workforce-development organizations and nursing workforce partners. Partners include MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital, Astria Health, Prosser Memorial Health, Benton-Franklin Health District, Washington Center for Nursing, South Central Workforce Development Council, Toppenish School District, Educational Service District 105, Yakima Health District and University of Washington GEAR UP. RGI will serve as the independent external evaluator.

The initiative centers on three areas:

College Readiness: Students will receive in-school advising, bilingual family outreach, campus visits, pre-nursing preparation and HESI A2 exam preparation.

On-Campus Case Management: Heritage students will receive individualized support, weekly case management, nursing and STEM tutoring, graduate mental health support and NCLEX-RN preparation to help them persist and succeed.

Workforce Transition: Students will gain hands-on experience through clinical placements, exposure to community-based research experiences, travel stipends and paid Nurse Tech positions with participating health care employers. Career preparation will include résumé and portfolio development, career fairs, employer connections and alumni services.

The project also will address a critical challenge facing rural nursing education — the shortage of qualified clinical instructors — through a near-peer clinical teaching pipeline designed to expand Heritage’s clinical capacity.

“Preparing more nurses for the Lower Yakima Valley requires more than simply recruiting students into a nursing program,” said Clark. “As Heritage University’s BSN program, we can make a lasting impact- not only on our students and the nursing workforce, but also on the patients and families we serve. We need to support students from the moment they begin thinking about college through graduation and into their careers. We want to educate holistic nurses who are prepared to care for their communities, grow their careers, and become lifelong members of the nursing workforce. This project brings education, health care employers and workforce partners together to create that continuum of support.”

The project is grounded in a rural-health collaborative involving more than 20 organizations and has received the endorsement of Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson. It also incorporates artificial intelligence literacy into curriculum and advising, including adaptive learning analytics and AI-assisted early-alert outreach.

Ultimately, the project aims to create a self-renewing, locally grown registered-nurse pipeline by increasing the number of rural students entering and completing nursing education, improving student persistence and licensure outcomes, and helping graduates find and remain in nursing positions in the Lower Yakima Valley.

The project also will produce an open-licensed toolkit that can be shared with other rural communities seeking to strengthen education-to-workforce pathways.

“This is about creating opportunity while strengthening the health care workforce right here at home,” Gilmer said. “When a student can graduate from a rural high school, attend Heritage, earn a nursing degree and begin a career serving their own community, everyone benefits.”

For more information, please contact Davidson Mance, public relations manager at (509) 969-6084 or mance_d@heritage.edu.

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