91心頭利嫋

The grant is the second largest in the history of the College

Le 91心頭利嫋 College will receive a $5 million, five-year grant from the New York Department of Health under the new statewide Healthcare Education油and Life-skills Program (HELP).油 The HELP initiative assists students pursuing careers in healthcare油by offering wrap-around services and support in order to address油the critical workforce shortages across the healthcare sector.

The grant will support graduate students in the Purcell School for Professional Studies enrolled in nursing, physician assistant studies, clinical mental health counseling and occupational油therapy. The grant, the second-largest in the Colleges history behind the $7.2 million received in 2022 to fund the ERIE21 Program, will start on Jan. 1, 2026.

This student funding and support program will be called the Healthcare Opportunities for Professional and Educational Success (HOPES).油In addition to generous financial support for more than 50 students each year, the program will involve three programming pillars: transition into the program, transition to the professionand transition to practice.油Overseeing implementation of the program will be the油Office of Graduate Admission油and油Success and the Purcell School.

The tiered approach will油provide critical support to onboard, retain and qualify graduate油students in the healthcare field.油It ties directly to the Colleges strategic plan油Tomorrow Together, which calls for the institution to assess local and regional markets for partnerships that increase programmatic reach and also aligns with its Jesuit tenant of cura personalis, or care for the whole person,

The grant will increase resources critical油to running programming, coaching students and providing vital services油to support student success, said Purcell School Dean Meega Wells,油Ph.D., R.N., APN- BC. It will benefit our graduate healthcare students in many ways throughout their journey through their respective programs.

My deepest gratitude to the many faculty, program directors and staff who contributed to the data collection and writing of the grant proposal to develop the innovative concept that resulted in this funding, said President Linda LeMura. It was truly a collaborative effort across the College.

This HELP initiative is part of a油油with a goal of rebuilding and expanding the healthcare workforce. The program’s goal is to address health workforce shortages by providing support services to healthcare trainees, thereby enhancing the career pipeline and improving access to healthcare training in underserved areas. HELP has annual funding availability of $19.5 million.