Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Names new NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars

Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Names new NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars | NEPA Health Care Foundation

Two incoming members of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine’s Class of 2021 have been named Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation scholars. Jennifer Jordan of Scott Township and Katherine Snyder of Dallas have been selected for the scholarship, which significantly reduces their tuition burden. Both scholarship recipients are from northeastern PA, and have demonstrated both academic excellence, and a desire to serve the communities of northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy hospital in Scranton. Its mission is to function as a foundation that supports the health care needs including, but not limited to, health education, community wellness, payment for medical care of the uninsured and underinsured, regardless of the facility of treatment, and to improve the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties.  The Scranton Area Foundation (SAF) serves as foundation administrator.

“Establishing this scholarship made sense, given NEPA HCF’s direct charge to improve the region’s health and wellbeing,” said Laura Ducceschi, administrator of NEPA HCF & SAF’s president and CEO. “Incoming medical students who apply for the scholarship must have a demonstrated commitment to practicing medicine in Northeastern Pennsylvania and a strong history of service to the community. Giving these students the financial support necessary to get their medical education helps ensure that talented future physicians can stay here in the region and care for our neighbors.”

“We are grateful to the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation for giving these deserving students such generous support as they begin the study of medicine,” said Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth. “The academic road to becoming a doctor is difficult by itself. Financial concerns should not be an extra burden for these talented students.”

Jordan, valedictorian of her class at Lakeland High School and a graduate of the University of Rochester, is a first-generation-to-college student. As a physician, she is interested in primary-care fields, although she remains open to all possibilities. What is not in doubt, she said, is her desire to stay in northeastern Pennsylvania. “When I read the email explaining the scholarship I had received, I cried,” she said. “I couldn’t believe I’d been chosen to receive something this amazing, this life-changing.”

Katherine Snyder is a graduate of Dallas High School and Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. She also holds a master of biomedical sciences (MBS) degree from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. As a first-generation-to-college student, she said she grew up watching her father work multiple jobs to care for his family. As a high school and college student, she adopted his work ethic, sometimes juggling as many as three jobs in addition to her school work. “Describing what this scholarship means to me is difficult. It means that, for once, academics can become my top priority. My worries won’t need to focus on how to pay. Instead my priority can be my studies and my future patients,” she said, adding, “I don’t have a particular medical specialty in mind, but without hesitation, I hope to return to NEPA to practice medicine and serve my hometown community.”

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) is the newest member of the Geisinger Health System family. Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Doylestown, Scranton, Sayre and Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) degrees. The college’s innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 17-county region in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, as well as from across the state and the nation.

 

PHOTO: Standing from left are Jeremiah Eagan, MD, NEPA HCF Board Member; Laura Ducceschi, President/CEO Scranton Area Foundation, Administrator of NEPA HCF; Michele McGowan, NEPA HCF Board Member; Mark Mitchell, NEPA HCF Board Member; Katherine Snyder of Dallas, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2021; Matthew E. Haggerty, Esq. NEPA HCF Board Member; Laura Barna of Mountain Top, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2019; Kerry O’Grady, NEPA HCF Board Member; Honorable Terrence Nealon, NEPA HCF Board Member.

Seated from the left are Natalie Gelb, NEPA HCF Board Member; James Clemente, CPA, NEPA HCF Board Chairman; Erin Connolly of Shickshinny, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2020; Jennifer Jordan of Scott Township, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2021; Jacob Parrick of Duryea, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2019; and Jason Homza of Kingston, NEPA HCF scholar, Class of 2020.

Making a Difference: 2015 Grant Recipients

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation recently celebrated its 2015 grant recipients. Twenty-one organizations received $642,300 in grants to continue their commitment to a healthier community. These organizations are working to make a difference to improve the health and wellness of individuals in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties.

We invite you to listen as these organizations share stories of their impact in our communities by clicking on the video link below:

2015 Healthcare Grant Awards

For Immediate Release: The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation (NPHCF) announces their 2015 grant recipients, and will be honoring them at the Second Annual Grant Awards Ceremony to be held on March 16th at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre.

In 2015, $642,300 in healthcare related grants has been distributed to the following organizations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties:

  • Allied Services Foundation – Jumpstart: A Behavioral Outreach for young adults
  • Boys and Girls Club of NEPA – After School Program
  • Catherine McAuley Center – Case Management and Traditional Supportive Housing for 24 homeless women and children
  • Center for Independent Living – High Functioning Autism Support Program
  • Commission on Economic Opportunity Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank – From Hunger to Healthy
  • Family Services Association of NEPA – To establish a Child Advocacy Center to serve Wyoming County
  • The Foundation for Cancer Cure – Smoking Cessation Program
  • Greater Carbondale YMCA – Cardiac/Pulmonary Wellness Program 2nd yr of 3 yr grant
  • Greater Scranton YMCA – Chronic Disease Programs, 2nd yr of 3 yr grant
  • Greater Wilkes-Barre Association for the Blind – Learning to Live with Vision Loss
  • Keystone Rescue Mission – Life Change Program
  • Luzerne County Community College – Teen Dental Healthcare Education Program
  • Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc. – Pass the Power of Pink Breast Health Initiative
  • Misericordia University – Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program
  • St. Joseph’s Center – Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Center, 3rd and final yr of 3 yr grant
  • United Neighborhood Centers – Chronic-Disease Self Management Program
  • Voluntary Action Center – Senior Well-Being Program
  • The Wright Center – Establishing a Primary Care Clinic at Skyview Park Apartments
  • Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA – In the Cardiac Direction Program, 2nd yr of 3 yr grant
  • WVIA – The Call the Doctor Program
  • Women in Philanthropy: An Initiative of the Scranton Area Foundation – STEM Programming

The NEPA Health Care Foundation commits $3.2 million more!

In addition to the grant totals above, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation has also committed to $3.2 million in multi-year medical and healthcare related scholarship support to create the Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation scholars program at The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC). This scholars program will enable students from Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties who wish to practice medicine in Northeastern PA, to receive scholarship support while attending TCMC.

Since 2011, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation has awarded over 2 million dollars in grants and scholarships. It is a public foundation with the mission of supporting community wellness; health education; medical care of the uninsured and underinsured; and the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties is proud to announce its’ 2015 grants to non-profits in the community. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, a registered 501©3 not-for-profit organization, was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy Hospital in Scranton.

The Scranton Area Foundation, a public community foundation serving the people of Lackawanna County since 1954, serves as administrator of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. 

For more information, contact:

Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation
615 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102
Scranton, PA 18510

Tel:      570-347-6203, ext. 310
Fax:     570-347-7587
nepahealthcarefoundation.org

Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation Announces 2016 Grant Cycle

Grant Opportunities

The Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation is pleased to invite grant applications from 501(c)(3) organizations for projects designed to support health and wellness initiatives serving the people of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties. The Foundation holds one annual grant cycle.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and well- being of the people of the region, particularly those most vulnerable and underserved. Grant-funded projects must be consistent with the mission of the Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation: to support the health care needs including, but not limited to, health education, community wellness, payment for medical care of uninsured and underinsured regardless of the facility of treatment, and to improve the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties.

**Special Grant Opportunity**

Behavioral Health Grant

In addition to the general grant cycle for 2016, the Foundation is issuing a separate RFP inviting grant applicants to submit for up to $50,000 in funding specifically to address the issue of behavioral health. The application should indicate serve the people of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties. The below grant procedure and deadlines also apply to the Behavioral Health Grant Opportunity.

Application Process & Criteria

The application process begins with a Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted via email to cathyf@safdn.org. Letters of Intent may be submitted until June 1, 2016, and responses regarding LOI approvals or denials will not be provided until after the deadline date. Applicants invited to submit a full application will be notified by the Foundation and assigned login credentials to access the online application through the NPHCF Website. Application deadline is September 1, 2016.

In general, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation does not support:

  • The development and implementation of academic curriculum at Colleges or Universities
  • Academic or commercial research
  • National organizations without a local branch
  • Needs assessments
  • Annual Campaigns
  • General operating expenses not associated with a specific program or initiative

Capital expenses will be considered on a case by case basis and organizations should contact the NPHCF prior to a letter of intent.

Organizations are ineligible to apply for funding from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation for two consecutive years.

The NPHCF encourages the following:

  • Collaborative projects where several organizations look at solving a specific issue
  • Serving all three counties of Lackawanna, Luzerne or Wyoming
  • Organizations showing multiple funding sources on their applications

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is not meant as a sustaining source of funding for any organization. Multi-year grants and repetitive funding are decided on a case by case basis.

Any questions regarding the Grants should be sent to cathyf@safdn.org, or by calling the Foundation at 570-347-6203.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy Hospital in Scranton. The Scranton Area Foundation serves as the administrator of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. The Scranton Area Foundation is a public community foundation that has been serving the people of Lackawanna County since 1954.

NEPA Health Care Foundation Grant awards

Click here to download the video.

NEPA HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES 2014 GRANTS

For Immediate Release: The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation (NPHCF) announces their 2014 grant recipients, and will be honoring them at the Second Annual Grant Awards Ceremony to be held on March 10th at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel.

In 2014, $512,757 in grants has been distributed to the following organizations in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties:

  • Children’s Service Center
  • Domestic Violence Service Center
  • Greater Carbondale YMCA
  • Greater Scranton YMCA
  • Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA
  • Heritage Valley Partners
  • Lou Ruspi Jr. Foundation
  • Luzerne County Child Advocacy Center
  • Meals on Wheels
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
  • Northeast PA Area Health Education Center
  • Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium
  • Northeast Regional Cancer Institute
  • PAISBC(PaysBack)
  • Seven Loaves Soup Kitchen
  • St. Joseph’s Center
  • The Center for Cancer Wellness, Candy’s Place
  • The Deutsch Institute
  • University of Scranton Edward R. Leahy Center Clinic
  • Wyoming County Cultural Center

This  include $80,000 in Dental Grants to:

  •             Scranton Primary Health Care Center, Inc.
  •             Volunteers in Medicine

In addition to the grant totals above, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation has also committed to $3.2 million in multi-year scholarship support to create the Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation scholars program at The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC).  This scholars program will enable students from Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties who wish to practice medicine in Northeastern PA, to receive scholarship support while attending TCMC.

Since 2011, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation has awarded $1,242,755.00 in grants to organizations in Lackawanna Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. It is a public foundation with the mission of supporting community wellness; health education; medical care of the uninsured and underinsured; and the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming counties is proud to announce its’ 2014 grants to non-profits in the community.  The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, a registered 501©3 not-for-profit organization, was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy Hospital in Scranton.

The Scranton Area Foundation, a public community foundation serving the people of Lackawanna County since 1954, serves as administrator of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation.

For more information, contact:

Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation
615 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102
Scranton, PA 18510

Tel:      570-347-6203, ext. 310
Fax:     570-347-7587
nepahealthcarefoundation.org

Email: safinfo@safdn.org

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation announces 2015 grant opportunities.

Grant Helps Local Students Pay for Medical School

A healthy Commonwealth Medical College can do wonders for region

Boosters of The Commonwealth Medical College don’t want you to think of the med school as a Scranton-only institution, and with good reason.

This startup college serves the entire region and, based on its potential economic and other impacts, it’s arguably among the best things to happen to Northeastern Pennsylvania since the arrival of Interstate 81. Now in its sixth year, TCMC exists primarily to boost the number of doctors, including specialists, who practice in this part of the state. That means more local patients, and their money, will stay in Luzerne, Lackawanna and surrounding counties when they seek health care.

But having a medical school in our midst offers many other benefits, too.

Dr. Steven Scheinman, the college’s dean and chief cheerleader since 2012, recently visited with the Times Leader’s Opinion Board to offer his assessment of TCMC’s condition today and to outline some of its aspirations. His enthusiasm for the college’s mission is, dare we say, infectious.

“I think we’re just at the beginning of what we can accomplish,” Scheinman told us.

After a rocky period, TCMC has more recently strengthened its financial position thanks to increased federal support and rising student admissions. In fact, it’s dean no longer is actively looking for a hospital or university with which to potentially partner, he said. Meanwhile, the college has received accreditation from two agencies and learned that its students’ performance on board exams exceeds the national average.

Less than two years from now, the recipients of TCMC’s first medical degrees, who are serving their residencies at places such as the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Walter Reed National Military Center, will be practicing. (And you can bet they’ll be hearing from someone at their alma mater, encouraging them to “come back home.”)

Administrators at The Commonwealth Medical College recognize the financial burden of student loans on their graduates; some are saddled with debt of $180,000 or more. So a campaign quietly has begun to ramp up the college’s endowment and supply more scholarships. Last week, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation became an early backer, pledging $3.2 million over the next decade.

Would-be donors should be aware their contributions to TCMC, beyond aiding a student achieve his or her dream, also support this region’s well-being.

TCMC spurs economic activity by purchasing goods and services as well as by providing its faculty and staff with good salaries. Its academic whizzes increasingly will participate in projects, such as Geisinger’s Genome Research Center in Forty Fort, benefiting patients globally, but also focus on regional-specific issues, such as access to mental health services.

TCMC’s Scranton-based headquarters has, from the start, been complemented by campuses in Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport, with the Stroudsburg area emerging as another likely site.

If all goes as planned, this medical school won’t one day be known as a Scranton success story. It’ll be the success story of an entire region.

Northeastern PA Health Care Foundation Scholars Program Established at The Commonwealth Medical College

NEPA HCF-2111Scranton, PA –The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation today announced the award of a $3.2 million grant to The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC). The grant will be awarded over an 11 year period and will fund four-year scholarships for incoming students from Northeastern PA who are enrolled in TCMC’s doctor of medicine (MD) program.

Candidates for the award will be screened through the TCMC admissions process, beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year. These need-based scholarships will be awarded to students from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties, which are the counties served by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. Besides residence, other important factors for consideration include interest in practicing medicine in Northeastern PA and previously demonstrated service to the community. Successful candidates will receive up to $40,000 per year in scholarship assistance.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is making this long-term commitment to TCMC to support the enrollment and retention of highly qualified students who have a strong desire to practice medicine in the region upon completion of their studies.  The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s Scholars Program will have an additional community immersion component to the curriculum.

James Clemente, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation remarked, “Both TCMC’s and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s goals are complimentary in that we are both committed to working towards reducing the physician shortage in our region.  The Foundation’s Board of Governors feels that supporting TCMC will have a positive impact on community health in NEPA for many years to come.”

Steven J. Scheinman, MD, President and Dean of TCMC, said, “I applaud and thank the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation for this very significant commitment to our students and the health of the region. It will make a substantial difference for at least 20 medical students from NEPA over the next decade. These scholarships will help us recruit bright students from this region who are economically disadvantaged but aspire to be doctors. Our mission and the goals of the Foundation in creating these scholarships are completely congruent.”

 

NEPA Healthcare Foundation in the News:

 

About TCMC:

The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) is one of the nation’s newest fully accredited medical colleges. TCMC offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Williamsport. TCMC offers a Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS), and MD/Master of Public Health (MPH) dual degree. The College’s innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 16-county region in northeast and north central Pennsylvania as well as from across the state and the nation.

The Commonwealth Medical College is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities.

 

About the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation:

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation (NEPA HCF) was established in 2011 following the sale of Mercy Hospital in Scranton. Their mission is to function as a community foundation that supports the health care needs including, but not limited to, health education, community wellness, payment for medical care of the uninsured and underinsured, regardless of the facility of treatment, and to improve the complete physical, mental, and social well-being of the residents of Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is administered by the Scranton Area Foundation.  For more information, visit nepahealthcarefoundation.org

© NEPA Health Care Foundation 2023

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Scranton, PA 18510

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