The University of Miami’s School of Nursing and Health Studies will receive more than $704,000 in grant funding to help increase the pool of primary care nurse practitioners in Miami-Dade County.

The funding is part of $320 million in new grants recently announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is aimed at strengthening the health care workforce in America. Florida alone will receive more than $11 million in grant funding.

The UM nursing school’s portion, allocated by the Advanced Nursing Education Expansion (ANEE) Program, will be used to provide tuition support to students enrolled in the school’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program. The 12-month, 37-credit program prepares advanced-practice nurses to provide cost-effective, culturally appropriate primary health care services across the lifespan. Graduates of the program earn a master of science in nursing degree and are eligible for national certification as a family nurse practitioner by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. ANEE support will accelerate the preparation of FNPs by supporting full-time enrollment.

“This grant will provide critical funding for students at a time when the redesign of the U.S. health care system requires more primary care providers,” says UM School of Nursing and Health Studies Dean Nilda Peragallo. “The grant will allow us to continue our efforts to educate more students and get additional family nurse practitioners into primary care roles at a much quicker rate, improving patient care across Florida and the nation.”

ANEE funds will be used to provide tuition stipends to encourage students to enroll full-time in the FNP program. Tuition support will accelerate the students’ FNP training from 24 months to 12 months. A projected 32 FNP students will be assisted by the program over the five-year project period.