BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH) — Nurses are needed now more than ever, and to address the shortage across Connecticut, a nurse training program will receive just under $3 million in federal funding.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced the funding alongside Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) at Griffin Hospital in Derby on Monday.

“We need 3,000 nurses every year,” Sen. Blumenthal said. “We are only graduating 1,900. That’s a shortfall of 1,100 every year in Connecticut alone.”

The $2,997,368 is coming from the Labor Department Nursing Expansion Program and will fund “The WorkPlace” in Bridgeport.

“For those who say that the federal government doesn’t have a role to play, or shouldn’t be playing this role, it really is nonsense,” Rep. DeLauro said.

The money will help train 200 entry-level nursing professionals over the next five years. Then, they’ll have the choice to decide if they want to continue their education and receive a degree in nursing.

The video below aired in our 8 p.m. newscast on Monday, May 22, 2023.