Thousands of dollars were awarded to two local colleges by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services for training healthcare professionals in the state.

On Thursday the grants were awarded by the Obama administration that will be used to educate and train nurses and geriatric specialists. The granst will also be used for those who are supporting and recruiting students belonging to minority groups.

A grant of more than $450,000 was received by Lourdes College for Nursing Workforce Diversity Grants. Another sum of about $35,000 will be given to the college for Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship Grants. The University of Toledo Health Science Campus is getting more than $41,000.

Senator Sherrod Brown said, "Besides solar energy, healthcare is one of the major things Toledo is known for. We need to train more health care workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, doctors, all of that make for a healthier population and give a lot of people job opportunities."

The healthcare law that was passed earlier this year made the money available.