LECANTO, FL (352today.com) – Florida’s best nursing program is right here in Citrus County, and the Hospital Board just donated another $5 million to cover students’ tuition and bring in new faculty.
The College of Central Florida (CF)’s campus in Citrus County is home to the 2023 Best RN Program in Florida, as it was dubbed by RegisteredNursing.org. The website gave CF’s Associate Degree Nursing program the top score of 98.58 out of 100.
The Citrus County Hospital Board’s commitment of $5 million will go toward CF’s Debbie Ressler Nursing Program. The college plans to use the funds to cover tuition costs for local students and onboard new nursing professors.
Thanks to this gift, CF is now eligible to apply for a $5 million match from the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) grant.
The LINE grant is competitive, as it is funded by the Florida Legislature, and colleges and universities from across the state can apply. Last year, however, CF came out on top: The college received $6.7 million from the Citrus County Hospital Board in 2022, and the LINE grant matched the gift in full. This was the largest share of the grant among all 26 institutions that applied.
“This is a huge game changer for Citrus County residents and the CF nursing program,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, CF president. “The college is grateful for the hospital board’s generous investment that will allow us to expand our #1 rated nursing program to support the needs of our local health care providers. The board has been a longstanding partner of the college, and its support has been transformational in helping CF lead the way in meeting the critical shortage of nurses in our region.”
For more information about CF’s nursing degrees and certificates, visit the program’s website.