College of Nursing secures $3.9 million HRSA grant for LAUNCH program
Posted on January 27, 2026 by College of Nursing
The University of South Alabama College of Nursing has been awarded a substantial $3,986,638 federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). This four-year funding establishes the Long-term and Acute Care Training to Promote Undergraduate Nurses' Clinical Practice in Rural and Underserved Community Health Settings (LAUNCH) program. The grant is designed to address critical shortages of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in long-term and acute care settings located within rural and medically underserved communities.
"This grant is invaluable as we continue to expand the availability of long-term and acute care training opportunities to undergraduate nursing students," said Dr. Heather Hall, dean of the College of Nursing. "One of the major components of this program is to graduate BSN-prepared nurses with increased knowledge in caring for patients residing in rural and underserved areas, and recruit preceptors who are prepared to serve as role models in the management of these patients."
The project is led by Dr. Leigh Minchew, associate dean and project director, alongside a collaborative faculty team from the College of Nursing and the USA Human Simulation Department, including Dr. Theresa Wright, Dr. Colleen Lynch, Dr. Bettina Riley, Dr. Jennifer Anderson, and Ms. Christy Shaw.
"We are honored to receive this generous award that recognizes the need to train nursing students to identify and address the many unique and challenging health needs of rural and vulnerable populations. We are committed to providing rich learning experiences in collaboration with our community healthcare partners, professional development for our nursing preceptors, students, and faculty, and inspiring a generation of new nurses to return to their communities empowered to advocate for patients and their families in meeting their health needs."
The LAUNCH program will build on the College's successful Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program by focusing on:
- Specialized training to provide additional dedicated, specialized clinical training opportunities in acute and long-term care settings, beyond current curricula requirements.
- Experiential learning utilizing simulation designed to enhance students' cultural competence in the care of rural and underserved populations, emphasizing competencies in addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), health equity and health literacy.
- Workforce expansion to foster BSN-prepared nurses' employment in acute and long-term care settings post-graduation and increase the number of preceptors and faculty.
The LAUNCH team will recruit, retain and graduate BSN-prepared nurses with increased knowledge and experience in the care of rural and underserved populations.