State Senator Maria Collett (D-12 Montgomery/Bucks) and Governor Tom Wolf have been encouraging Pennsylvanian nurses to apply for the Student Loan Relief for Nurses (SLRN) program.
The program is part of the COVID-19 Nursing Workforce Initiative (NWI), which launched in September 2021 to offer additional support to Pennsylvanian nurses who faced challenges during the ongoing pandemic. The initiative uses $6.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds to keep nurses in the profession during the pandemic. $5 million will go toward nurses’ student loan relief.
“I really have been pushing for relief for nurses [since] day one,” Collett said. “From the minute I entered in that chamber as a registered nurse, I have been advocating for making sure that we're supporting nurses, and the pandemic really just brought that closer to home.”
The plan was created with Collett’s caucus along with Sen. VIncent Hughes, who is the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“It was really a collaborative effort,” Collett said.
Qualified applicants are randomly selected across the commonwealth to receive student loan relief of up to $2,500 for each year of work, beginning in 2020, with a maximum benefit of $7,500 over three years. Eligible nurses must be Pennsylvanian residents, be licensed through the Department of State, have worked at a qualifying nursing facility, and have been employed prior to December 31, 2021. All applications must be submitted by March 1.
“I really wanted to make sure that I advocated for a program that was going to do a little bit more than what we've been doing, which is sort of putting signs in the yard saying that we support our healthcare heroes,” Collett said. “This is something that's going to be really monetarily impactful for our nurses. Ultimately, it's going to be something that really helps the economic recovery of the Commonwealth as we move forward.”
PHEAA has received over 5,000 applications so far, with 8,000 indicating interest in the program. However, assuming each eligible nurse qualifies, only 666 nurses will receive relief, according to Elizabeth McCloud, PHEAA’s vice president of state grant and special programs.
“I think the most important thing to remember here is that $5 million, while I am incredibly grateful and proud to have advocated for that, is just a start,” she said.
Collett said she is continuing to advocate for more funding and has introduced Senate Bill 974 in the statehouse, so the program will expand and renew annually. She urges nurses to apply, hoping that more applications will prove the need for additional funding.
“We're not going to wait for the statute to pass. We're not going to wait for that to go into effect,” Collett said. “We're still advocating very strongly that all four caucuses come together with the administration to earmark significant American Rescue Plan dollars for this program because it has proven to be wildly successful, and I know that the more nurses we can benefit through this program, the better off we're going to be in our Commonwealth.”
Nurses who apply, but don’t get selected during the first round will remain in the system to be reviewed again when there is more funding.
“We are working every day to get more funding for this program because it is such an incredible program,” Collett said. “I feel confident, I feel very optimistic that the need is being seen by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, both chambers of the legislature and the administration, and that we're really going to work to do something pretty spectacular for nurses here.”
See also:
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Sen. Collett Announces Legislation To Ensure PPE Stockpiles For Future Health Emergencies
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