To address a critical nursing shortage, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is seeking $112 million in state funding.

The state Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Monday announced $1.2 million in grants to address the nursing shortage. 

The nursing shortage here and across the country faces an uphill battle as there is a shortage of nursing teachers to provide the education students need to serve patients at the bedside. 

The nursing shortage in Pennsylvania -- and across the country -- isn’t new, it’s just been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the head of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association in Harrisburg. 

A look at how Lehigh Valley health care institutions are facing a projected nursing shortage.