Hartnell College and Salinas Valley Health are expanding longtime partnership to help nursing students.

With a nursing shortage throughout the state of California and the Central Coast, Hartnell College and Salinas Valley Health continue to partner in reinforcing the regional nursing workforce.

Together, both entities are expanding Hartnell’s College nursing program by increasing enrollment by 50 percent from 50 to 75 students annually and growing their hands-on clinical training.  

By 2033, it is projected that 50 counties in California will face a 5-percent shortage or more of registered nurses. The overall statewide shortage will increase to just under 17 percent, resulting in a need for 61,141 additional health care providers to meet future demand, according to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information. 

“Together, we are supporting economic mobility and building a stronger, healthier future for the Salinas Valley,” said Michael Gutierrez, superintendent and president of the Hartnell Community College District.

Salinas Valley Health announced on Wednesday, May 6 that it is giving Hartnell College $1.5 million over the next three years, adding to an earlier $3 million investment.

The partnership began in 2003 with a summer program that introduces high school students to healthcare careers. Since then, hundreds of students have gone on to become healthcare professionals.

“Some first-generation college students are now in a position to pursue and achieve financial success in a fulfilling career, caring for and serving the communities where they were born and raised,” said Joel Hernandez, president of the board of directors at Salinas Valley Health.

Hartnell College student Valerie Longoria, who is studying to be a nurse, is excited there will be more opportunities for students like her to follow their dreams.

“I am happy to hear that Hartnell College can now accept more students into the program. Resources like this and those of our community show others that everything is possible,” Longoria said. 

Paola Godinez Barba, who spent time at Hartnell College during Summer Health Institute, is the first in her family to get a college degree and now works as a nurse at Salinas Valley Health.

“Growing up in Salinas, I always wanted to serve others,” she said. “This partnership made becoming a nurse feel possible, and now I’m living that dream.”