Southcoast Health announced its launch of a new program at the UMass Dartmouth College of Nursing and Health Sciences, welcoming 16 of its own nurses with associate degrees to earn their Bachelor of Science in nursing.

The program, offered at “little to no cost” to the nurses, was made possible through direct funding secured by Sen. Michael J. Rodrigues to help with the development of the nursing and health workforce pipeline in the region, according to Southcoast Health.

“UMass Dartmouth is grateful to partner with Southcoast Health to address the healthcare needs of our community through impactful learning and training opportunities,” said UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark A. Fuller. “Innovative collaborations like this initiative are key to improving our region's future success by educating the next generation of healthcare professionals.”

Southcoast Health emphasizes that the primary goals of its partnership with UMass Dartmouth is to increase the number of clinical staff nurses with bachelor’s degrees and the number of those who are educationally qualified to serve as teachers for nursing students.