CT Advocates, Legislators Call for State Action Following Changes to Federal Student Loan Programs
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Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) speaks during a meeting of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee’s meeting on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. At left is Rep. Greg Haddad. Photo credit: Coral Aponte, CTNewsJunkie (file photo)
State Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, said Connecticut has worked to make higher education more affordable and accessible, and the federal government is doing just the opposite.
By Donald Eng, CTNewsJunkie.com
Changes to federal student loan programs are endangering the pipeline Connecticut relies on to educate and retain nurses, according to the president of the state’s nurse association.
“You cannot strengthen the nursing workforce while limiting access to nursing education,” Connecticut Nurse Association President Cassandra Esposito said. “Graduate education is required in nursing – to practice, to teach, and to lead – and disrupting that pipeline will worsen nursing shortages and limit access to care for Connecticut residents.”
Esposito said the changes also threaten other graduate-prepared healthcare professions that combine to make up about 80% of the state’s healthcare workforce.
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