Although resistance to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations has highlighted New York’s shortage of skilled medical workers, hospital administrators say the deficit has been an issue for years, particularly when it comes to nurses.

According to the American Journal of Medical Quality, there will be a shortage of more than 39,000 registered nurses across the state by 2030.

In an attempt to get ahead of the problem, the State University of New York system is launching a new initiative to help communities train new talent in the healthcare field.

A fund endowed with $3 million has been created to help SUNY campuses already home to accredited nursing programs expand the capacity of those schools.

The funds will not go toward offsetting tuition, but can be used to hire more instructors, increase the capacity of existing facilities, and purchase more equipment for instruction.

The office of SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras says that in 2019 more than 80,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs across the country, due in part to a shortage student capacity at those institutions.