HCAI details Song Brown RN and Licensed Midwifery grant changes, deadlines and application steps

The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) on a Microsoft Teams webinar outlined application guidance, changed slot limits and key deadlines for the 2025 Song Brown registered nurse (RN) and licensed midwifery (LM) grant cycles.

Chris Rowena, lead communications analyst for health workforce development at HCAI, opened the session, saying, “We're thrilled to have you join us today for the Song Brown Registered Nurse and Licensed Midwifery Technical Assistance webinar.” Kasie Cassidy Naval, Song Brown program officer, provided the program overview and led a detailed walkthrough of the HCAI funding portal and the application pages.

The webinar reiterated the program's statutory priorities: graduating clinicians who practice in medically underserved areas, enrolling students from underrepresented groups, locating primary training sites in underserved areas and operating sites where most patients are Medi‑Cal recipients. Naval said, “Song Brown funds education programs, including family nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered nurses, primary care residency, licensed midwifery, and certified nurse midwifery.”

Why it matters: Song Brown grants are a key state instrument to support clinical training in areas of workforce shortage and to target resources to Medi‑Cal populations. Changes this cycle, clarified on the webinar, affect how applicants request slots and how some demographic data are handled.

Key application dates and process details - Application release: 09/10/2025 at 3:00 p.m. (Pacific). - Early…