{"id":13995,"date":"2025-09-22T19:46:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T19:46:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/?p=13995"},"modified":"2025-09-22T19:45:57","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T19:45:57","slug":"governors-visit-spotlights-naus-progress-in-curbing-the-healthcare-worker-shortage-the-nau-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/about\/news\/governors-visit-spotlights-naus-progress-in-curbing-the-healthcare-worker-shortage-the-nau-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor\u2019s visit spotlights NAU\u2019s progress in curbing the healthcare worker shortage | The NAU Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"547\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review.png 683w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-300x240.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Friday, Aug. 8, leaders at Northern Arizona University met with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a proud Lumberjack alumna, to discuss how the university and the governor\u2019s office can work together to fill critical healthcare gaps in the state, particularly in rural and underserved communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Hobbs\u2019 visit to NAU was part of a three-day&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/azgovernor.gov\/office-arizona-governor\/news\/2025\/08\/governor-katie-hobbs-continues-arizona-promise-tour-stops\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arizona Promise Tour<\/a>&nbsp;that took her to multiple cities across the state, from Flagstaff to Phoenix to Tucson to Nogales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s a top priority for me as governor to address shortages in Arizona\u2019s healthcare workforce,\u201d Gov. Hobbs said. \u201cNAU is a leading partner in this work, and their focus on high-demand programs in nursing, health professions and behavioral health\u2014and on the specific needs of our state\u2019s urban, rural and Tribal communities\u2014is making a real difference and preparing talented health professionals who can best serve Arizona in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13997\" width=\"367\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-1.png 483w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-1-300x199.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 367px) 100vw, 367px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a roundtable discussion with the governor, university leaders\u2014including NAU President Jos\u00e9 Luis Cruz Rivera and Provost Karen Pugliesi\u2014detailed NAU\u2019s robust physical and behavioral health education programs that are expanding opportunity throughout the state. As NAU seeks to double the number of graduates in health-related fields by 2030 to meet the state\u2019s growing demand, the university is emphasizing accessible, affordable pathways and training individuals committed to serve in the state and give back to their communities. The following are some of the many highlights shared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Last year, NAU launched its College of Nursing, where an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/college-nursing\/\">American Indian Program<\/a>&nbsp;supports Indigenous students who hope to practice nursing in their home communities and a new Nursing Exploration Camp is helping rural kids visualize different pathways into the profession.<\/li><li>The College of Health and Human Services\u2019 new&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.nau.edu\/mph-indigenous-track\/\">Indigenous Health Track<\/a>&nbsp;prepares Master of Public Health students for success in tribal settings through clinical placements in Indigenous communities.<\/li><li>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/nau.edu\/center-community-health-engaged-research\/\">Center for Community Health and Engaged Research<\/a>&nbsp;has launched community-based participatory research projects aimed at combating early childhood caries and supporting caregivers of people with Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/li><li>The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences\u2019 tribal re-entry program supports incarcerated individuals transitioning back into their communities with mental health services and more. Plus, the course&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.nau.edu\/care-for-nahasdzaan\/\">Care for Nahasdz\u00e1\u00e1n<\/a>&nbsp;gives social science students a chance to make a positive difference in the Din\u00e9 and Hopi communities and other tribal communities nationwide.<\/li><li>Together with OpusVi, NAU launched affordable, healthcare-focused online master\u2019s degree programs in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/catalog.nau.edu\/Catalog\/details?plan=HCMBA&amp;catalogYear=2526\">business administration<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.nau.edu\/master-of-social-work\/\">social work<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz Rivera noted the critical importance of public investment in health education to achieve these milestones, highlighting the collaboration between the state and the Arizona Board of Regents to fund the Arizona Healthy Tomorrow Initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPublic investment in our health initiatives has been vital to expanding program capacity, offerings, and meeting this essential area of workforce demand for Arizona,\u201d said Cruz Rivera. \u201cAt NAU, we are on track to double the number of health professions and behavioral health graduates by 2030, and our graduates are uniquely prepared to serve in rural, underserved, and Indigenous areas where their impact is needed most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13998\" width=\"342\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-2.png 558w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/380\/2025\/09\/nau-review-2-300x240.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The roundtable also highlighted NAU\u2019s priorities for use of the Stimulus for Economic and Education Development (SPEED) bonds championed by Gov. Hobbs. SPEED will allow the university to build a new, state-of-the-art 40,000 square foot nursing building, expanding program capacity, ensuring unparalleled learning experiences for future nurses, and creating a hub for health education on the university\u2019s Flagstaff campus. In addition, SPEED will support much-needed infrastructure improvements to physical sciences facilities and renovate some spaces inside Cline Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Hobbs pledged her continued support for NAU\u2019s impactful work to address the state\u2019s healthcare worker shortage and ensure quality care for all Arizonans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While on campus, Gov. Hobbs also toured NAU\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/news.nau.edu\/nursing-sim-lab\/\">new nursing simulation lab<\/a>&nbsp;and met with nursing students who described their experiences in hands-on courses that are preparing them for the unique challenges they\u2019ll face as providers in Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>As seen on <a href=\"https:\/\/news.nau.edu\/hobbs-visit-healthcare-shortage\">The NAU Review<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Friday, Aug. 8, leaders at Northern Arizona University met with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a proud Lumberjack alumna, to discuss how the university and the governor\u2019s office can work together to fill critical healthcare gaps in the state, particularly in rural and underserved communities. Gov. Hobbs\u2019 visit to NAU was part of a three-day&nbsp;Arizona [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":847,"featured_media":13996,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/847"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13995"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14002,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13995\/revisions\/14002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/college-nursing\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}