Staff report

U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa will present grants to the Bee County Sheriff’s Department and to Coastal Bend College in Beeville on Wednesday.

Hinojosa, whose congressional district includes Bee County, is scheduled to meet with representatives from the sheriff’s department and the college at 10 a.m. at the Bee County Courthouse courtroom.

The Bee County Sheriff’s Department will receive $250,000 to train and equip several new officers.

“This grant will help to provide for more officers for the Bee County Sheriff’s Department and this in turn allows for more security for the residents who live in rural Bee County,” Hinojosa said.

Coastal Bend College will receive $220,000 for a Mobile Simulation Lab. The rural community college is training nurses and health professionals in a region with chronic shortages. Currently, due to the distance and lack of transportation between clinical facilities, many students cannot easily obtain the training they need to complete their studies, Hinojosa said. The Mobile Simulation Lab will allow these students to obtain clinical experience in their communities, he noted.

“The Mobile Simulation Lab offers an ideal solution for nursing students living in rural areas. In a time when there is such a shortage of nurses, bringing the classroom to the students will help close that gap,” Hinojosa explained.