As New Hanover County faces a nursing shortage and increased demand for healthcare workers, local education, business and healthcare leaders are working to build a pipeline to meet those needs.
A big piece of that pipeline is the New Hanover Healthcare Career Partnership. With funding from the New Hanover Community Endowment, this initiative is a collaborative effort with the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College, New Hanover County Schools, and the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.
Representatives from all collaborators and Novant Health, the area’s largest healthcare provider and employer, discussed their efforts at a public forum on Sept. 22 at held at Lumina Theater on UNCW’s campus.
Here are five takeaways about
how this work is closing the healthcare gap in New Hanover County.
The Wilmington area faces a significant nursing shortage
Dr. Steven Hill, vice-president of the talent development for the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, explained that when they first began addressing this issue, the nursing shortage in New Hanover County was projected to reach 17,500 by 2033, and this was due in part to growth across the Wilmington area.
Hill said New Hanover County is expected to see a 21% growth in nursing jobs by 2030, and while school systems or government entities are the top employers in most counties, New Hanover is unique in that healthcare is the sector with Novant being the county’s biggest employer.
“I think that’s a pretty good target to start with, and that’s why we’re here today,” Hill said.
A collaborative effort to address the issue began in 2022
Dr. Jack Watson, dean of UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services, said all the partners had their own pathway programs prior to the partnership, but these were “almost done in a silo.”
In 2022, they began working together and submitted a grant proposal to the Endowment in fall 2023, which was funded at $22.3 million over three years.
According to Amber Rogerson, communications director for the Endowment, the grant launched in 2024 with each of the partners receiving a portion of the grant: $10,253,500 to UNCW; $10,153,633 to the Cape Fear Community College Foundation; $1,680,000 to New Hanover County Schools; and $250,000 to the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.
Programs are engaging students early
The pipeline starts in seventh grade with the Career and Leadership Development Academy, a partnership between the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, New Hanover County Schools and local businesses. Natalie English, president and CEO of the chamber, said a grant from the Endowment and the North Carolina General Assembly allowed them to expand the program from 40 students in 2023 to 1,724 students in 2026, allowing more students to learn about the various industries, including healthcare.
In high school, students continue exploring health careers. The grant has allowed New Hanover County Schools to hire additional nursing fundamentals teachers, expanding the program from one high school in 2023 to all four traditional high schools in 2026 and adding a Certified Nurse Aid skills laboratory at each one.
Schools are helping students graduate and remain in the area
Both UNCW and Cape Fear Community College have expanded their nursing program enrollment in their programs to help meet the growing needs, and with funding from the Endowment both made expansions to their facilities to accommodate the training needs as these programs grow, including an additional simulation lab at CFCC’s north campus and expanded simulation labs with virtual reality technology at UNCW.
When it comes to retention, officials explained UNCW and CFCC were experiencing different issues. While most UNCW students were completing their programs, they were leaving the area after graduation. For Cape Fear Community College students, Mary Ellen Naylor, dean of health and human services at CFCC, many students would begin the nursing program but would not be able to complete it due to life or family obligations.
As a result, UNCW is working to help ensure students engage with opportunities that will allow them to stay in the area after graduation, and CFCC is offering wrapround services, including a housing stipend, tuition assistance, exam assistance, emergency assistance, drop-in childcare and clinical and educational supplies.
The efforts are resulting in more nurses
Officials on the panel noted through these investments and partnerships, there are 250 more nurses in New Hanover County in 2026 than there were in 2023, and the average time to fill nursing positions has dropped from 27 days to 24 days.
Laurie Whalin, senior vice-president of Novant Health’s Coastal Region, said that between 2021 and 2025, they had hired nearly 1,200 registered nurses with travel nurses representing only about 4% of the nursing workforce. She noted that while Novant has long partnered with UNCW and CFCC, the hiring and retention of UNCW’s nursing graduates has increased by 103% and CFCC’s has increased by 70%.
Renee Spencer is the community engagement editor at the StarNews. Reach her at rspencer@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Nursing shortage drives $22.3M effort to grow Wilmington-area workforce
