Houston Endowment recently awarded one of the largest grants in the University of Houston-Victoria’s history to help fund a master’s-level family nurse practitioner program, scheduled to start this fall in UHV’s School of Nursing.

The $800,000 grant is for the new Master of Science in Nursing family nurse practitioner track. Already approved by the UH Board of Regents, the new degree is now awaiting approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Classes are scheduled for UHV’s main campus in Victoria, and at UH Sugar Land and the UH System at Cinco Ranch in Katy, where the UHV School of Nursing offers programs. Nursing students also can take nursing administration and education tracks within the school’s MSN program.

The grant will support students in the family nurse practitioner program, as well as faculty training.

“For the program to receive such strong support from Houston Endowment shows just how important the need is for more nurse practitioners,” said Kathryn Tart, founding dean of the UHV School of Nursing. “Thanks to Houston Endowment’s grant, the nursing students will be able to focus full time on their education and graduate faster so they can provide more access to health care delivery for patients in our communities.”

Nurse practitioners are able to serve as health care providers and run their own practices. Nurse practitioners’ scope of practice is to diagnose and prescribe medication for common, well-defined health care needs and to provide health promotion and illness prevention.

“Nurse practitioners are an important part of the health care system because they collaborate with medical doctors in delivering health care,” Tart said. “These nurses will be able to fulfill a need for more health care providers in rural and medically underserved areas.”

With this grant, UHV has received more than $1.6 million in external gifts since Sept. 1, when the fiscal year began.

“We have reached a fundraising milestone this year and are on pace to set an all-time record,” UHV President Phil Castille said. “The university is grateful for all the external support we receive from private citizens and community organizations such as Houston Endowment. With this support, UHV is able to keep costs low and provide high-quality education that prepares our students for their future careers.”

Houston Endowment was founded in 1937 by Jesse and Mary Gibbs Jones.

“This grant is a strategic response by the foundation to supply more health care providers to the greater Houston area and expand access to primary care for the people who live and work in our communities,” Houston Endowment President Ann Stern said. “We are honored to be a part of this important effort and tradition.”

Founded in 2007, UHV School of Nursing is the youngest of the university’s four schools. UHV’s School of Nursing serves the UH System with bachelor’s and master’s programs and was admitted in the fall to membership in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. The School of Nursing has full approval from the Texas Board of Nursing and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

For more information about UHV nursing programs, visit www.uhv.edu/nursing or call toll free 877-970-4848, ext. 4370.