Official urges Missourians to convince Gov for add education funds

WARRENSBURG, Mo. - A top official of the University of Missouri on Monday appealed to Missourians to help convince the governor to initiate funding for higher and continuing education to help the healthcare workers. An additional yearly funding of $38 million was asked by Prepare to Care from the state purposely to increase more graduates of the university’s education programs fo health-care profession. UM interim president Gordon Lamb’s appeal of support was heard during a luncheon with political leaders, civic and business leaders in Warrensburg, Missouri. It was quoted that if the state would give the education funds it would be divided among colleges to help produce more graduates for nurses, pharmacists, doctors, dentists, and other health care professionals.

Lamb also joined Aaron Podolefsky, the University of Central Missouri in their appeal to ask the state for additional education funding in order to produce more healthcare professionals in the future. He said if Columbia’s nursing schools and medical schools share around $9 million additional funding each year, the UM-Kansas also share another $11.3 million and Central Missouri also share the $1.2 million each year from the new education funding proposal, Central Missouri will have an additional 35 nurses every year.

It was learned that the funding proposal will not be spent for the construction of new buildings but would generally go to the hiring of more faculty staff, new equipment and renovate facilities to convince more students to enroll.

Podolefsky said the education program proposal would not only benefit the schools but the state in general because of the additional graduates of healthcare professionals to address the growing needs for more professionals in the communities within the state of Missouri.

However, it was also reported that on the November 9 memo from the Office of the Missouri Department of Higher Education, Gov. Matt Blunt may not support the education fund initiative. It was also learned that the requested fund is already an addition for the funding that the governor wants. Originally, there was already an increase of 4.2 percent for higher education. Lamb admitted there was really a shortage of health care professionals that is why he is supporting the initiative before things get worst in the coming years. He is afraid the state-wide shortage of nurses, medical doctors and other health professionals would give a bad scenario in the future.