$107-Million In ARPA Funds Go To 3 Del. Colleges & Universities

Delaware colleges and universities will get shares of a total of $107-million to support COVID-19 pandemic-related projects. The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act which was passed by Congress and signed by President Biden last March.

“Delaware’s institutions of higher education are helping us rebuild from the pandemic and will put this funding to good use,” Governor John Carney said. “This support will help train new nurses, public health professionals and child care workers, facilitate a state-of-the-art laboratory at the University of Delaware, establish a center to study health disparities at Delaware State University and strengthen child care and health care programs at Delaware Technical Community College. Thank you to members of our federal delegation and President Joe Biden for fighting for these important resources.” 

According to Governor Carney’s office:

The University of Delaware will use $41 million in ARPA funding to help build a state-of-the-art facility for education and research in understanding, treatment, and prevention of diseases in Newark.  It will train the next generation of Delaware public health professionals, including mental health professionals, and help meet demand in the state’s health care workforce. The facility is expected to be completed in mid-2024, at a projected total cost of approximately $165 million, with the balance of funds to be provided from university sources. Graduates from the university’s clinical programs currently work at Christiana Care, Nemours, the Wilmington VA Medical Center, and the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, among other health care settings.  

Delaware State University plans to use ARPA support to fund a series of projects, including: 

• $7 million to establish a comprehensive clinical facility to combat health disparities, housed at the DSU Center for Health Disparities’ Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Dover.  
• $10.6 million for the new DSU Early Care and Innovation Center, first announced in November.  
• $7.4 million for technology upgrades in classrooms. 
• $2.5 million to improve existing facilities to meet pandemic operational needs. 

Delaware Technical Community College also will fund a series of projects with ARPA support, including: 

• $15 million for the Allied Health Center of Excellence, which will be located at the George Campus in Wilmington. Allied Health graduates from DTCC, including respiratory therapists and emergency medical technicians, work in Delaware hospitals, primary care, and other health care facilities. DTCC will expand access to its paramedic instructional program and surgical technology program at the site to meet growing workforce demand. 
• $6.5 million to build a Childcare Center on the Stanton campus to serve infants to school-age children. The center will expand child care education in New Castle County and provide area workers with additional child care options. 
• $1.5 million for a culinary workforce development grant.  

For more information about ARPA in Delaware, please CLICK HERE