Saturday, May 10, 2025
5/10/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Project Abstract: NWTI Education Foundation 709 S. Old Missouri Rd. Springdale, AR 72764 Project Director: Melissa Greenslade Vice President of Instruction, Northwest Technical Institute mgreenslade@nwti.edu Office: 479-751-8824 ext. 105 The NWTI Education Foundation is requesting $10,000,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending Project Grant. This $10,000,000 grant will assist in the construction of a 45,000 sq. ft. Medical Education Building on the campus of Northwest Technical Institute (NWTI) campus located in Springdale, Arkansas. This facility would accommodate NWTI’s allied health programs in Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN), Surgical Technology, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Sterile Processing, as well as additional allied health programs being considered for future enrollment. This new medical education building would allow NWTI to increase it allied health student enrollment from 100 students to 300 students each year. The graduates of these programs will significantly reduce the workforce gap in the medical industry across the Northwest Arkansas region. The construction of this facility at NWTI will address the number of trained healthcare workers that will enter the workforce annually which will significantly reduce the workforce gap in the medical industry across Northwest Arkansas. Based on data from the Northwest Arkansas Council, there are approximately 3600 unfilled medical positions in the region currently and about 85% of these positions are in the middle-skill development area. NWTI is the primary educational facility in Northwest Arkansas that is focused on middle-skill development training and the proposed medical education building will ensure opportunity for Career and Technical Education (CTE) training that will satisfy this employment need. Based on labor market projections, there is an employment shortfall of licensed practical nurses, surgical technologists, and certified nursing assistants, etc. in a medical industry that has been decimated by the COVID pandemic. The increased enrollment in NWTI allied health programs will significantly decrease the employment shortfall in the regional medical industry. Additionally, NWTI serves an area with increasing diversity and high poverty levels. Middle-skill level programs, like those offered by NWTI help to break the bonds of generational poverty in the region. NWTI offers programs at a lower cost and shorter time frames than traditional higher education, making its programs more accessible to many of these students. Partnerships with local community leaders, charitable organizations, and others have increased scholarship opportunities that target students in this demographic offering them the chance to pursue higher education and raise the economic standing of many families in the region, and as a result, the advanced training of these allied health graduates will significantly contribute to economic development across Northwest Arkansas. NWTI began the process of pursuing construction of the medical education building approximately two years ago by consulting with hospitals, clinics, and other medical providers in the region, along with educators, charitable organizations and regional chambers of commerce and other workforce groups to determine the needs for expansion in the medical area. With the support of these groups, NWTI began seeking funds for the construction of the medical education building. The $10,000,000.00 requested in this grant, along with previously raised funds, will go toward the construction and furnishing of this medical educational building, including work to prepare the site for construction, architectural fees, construction management fees, instructional technology equipment, specialty medical training equipment, and interior and exterior furnishings.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).