THEC Announces Award Recipients for Rural Health Care Pathways Expansion Grant
Media Contact
Jessie Greene
Jessie.Greene@tn.gov
615-519-7730
Press Release
NASHVILLE, TN – May 21, 2025 – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the Rural Health Care Pathways Expansion Grant (RHCPE), a key initiative designed to strengthen Tennessee’s rural health care workforce by expanding access to education and career pathways in high-demand health care fields. Grants of up to $2 million have been awarded to 20 higher education institutions across the state. These awardees will develop or expand health care career pathway programs that connect rural students with in-demand opportunities in health care, behavioral health, and dental health professions.
Award Recipients Include:
| Austin Peay State University | $ 1,942,705.29 |
| Chattanooga State Community College | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| Columbia State Community College | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| Dyersburg State Community College | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| Northeast State Community College | $ 884,404.00 |
| TCAT Athens | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Crump | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Dickson | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Hartsville | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Jackson | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Knoxville | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT McMinnville | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Morristown | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Oneida | $ 2,000,000.00 |
| TCAT Pulaski | $ 1,996,731.00 |
| University of Memphis - Lambuth | $ 1,647,458.00 |
| University of Tennessee - Knoxville | $ 1,972,180.00 |
| University of Tennessee - Martin | $ 1,992,884.92 |
| University of Tennessee Health Science Center | $ 1,200,000.00 |
| Walters State Community College | $ 1,898,617.37 |
“By investing in these institutions, we are laying the foundation for a stronger, more sustainable health care workforce in Tennessee’s rural communities,” said Dr. Steven Gentile, Executive Director of THEC. “These partnerships will help students explore careers in health care earlier, transition into postsecondary education more seamlessly, and advance professionally within their chosen fields.”
The RHCPE Grant supports a variety of evidence-based strategies, including:
- Increasing secondary students’ exposure to health care careers
- Strengthening pathways into health science education and employment
- Enhancing career advancement opportunities within the health care sector
Through this initiative, THEC continues its commitment to addressing workforce shortages and improving health outcomes in Tennessee’s rural areas by building strong, data-informed pathways into essential health care roles.
THEC would like to thank the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Tennessee Department of Health, Tennessee Department of Education, and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for their partnership and support in this initiative.
For more information about the Rural Health Care Pathways Expansion Grant, visit www.tn.gov/thec.
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The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Commission develops, implements, evaluates postsecondary education policies and programs in Tennessee while coordinating the state’s systems of higher education, and is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential.