Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez and the Hidalgo County Commissioners Court have pledged $2 million to fund salaries for South Texas Colleges Nursing and Allied Health nursing instructors. The funding is an effort to increase enrollment while also doubling the number of nurses graduating from STC.
Cortez and others gathered Feb. 14 at STC’s Nursing and Allied Health Campus to celebrate the funding. Joining Cortez for the check signing were STC President Ricardo Solis and Precinct 2 Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu. STC trustees and administrators were also in attendance.
“We view this as an investment in our community,” said Cortez. “Hidalgo County has long been challenged with a shortage of nurses and STC is the perfect partner to address that shortage.”
Need For Nurses Growing
The Texas Department of State Health Services statistics for the future demand for registered nurses in Texas within a decade are sobering.
The supply of registered nurses in Texas is expected to grow by 30.5 percent to 291,872. However, the actual demand will grow by 38.8 percent to 348,883. This will leave a deficit of 57,012 RNs statewide. Based on these projections, 16.3 percent of the demand for RNs in 2032 will not be met.
The Rio Grande Valley region employed 14,619 active RNs in the Valley as of 2019, according to DSHS. Projections show local RN supply growing by 25.9 percent by 2032 while demand will grow by 20.5 percent.
According to the Texas Board of Nursing, STC is the largest producer of healthcare personnel in the region. The college graduated 463 nurses in 2021. Solis said the college has set a goal to increase that amount to at least 500 nurses a year.
“South Texas College is committed to responsiveness and partnerships that allow us to meet the workforce needs of the region we serve. This is an example of what higher education can do when it gets support from the public and private sector,” said Solis.
Texas Workforce Commissioner Julian Alvarez was also on hand at the event. He pledged to introduce proposals that will give nursing students financial support in the future.