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$262,500 awarded in Year Three to support the growth and development of the nursing workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Laura Ducceshi • July 15, 2024

SCRANTON, PA – In response to the acute shortage of nurses across the region and its effect on the health and wellness of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation announces it has awarded $262,500 in its third year towards nursing scholarships for local students as part of its Careers in Care initiative.


The Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program has awarded 44 scholarships to students in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wyoming Counties, and Carbon Counties who plan to pursue or who are pursuing nursing and who will practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania. These scholarship opportunities come during a time when there have been great strains on the healthcare workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania.


The Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program accepted applications and, through a rigorous and competitive application process, identified various qualified nursing students.


2023 recipients include Tiffany Ashton, Brooke Bird, Monique Barnes, Cleora Margaret Brown, Alexis Rose Bruno, Brianna Marie Burford, Jacqueline Burke, Angelica Maria Campbell, Amy Casagrande, Megan Ashley Chestnut, Izabella Grace Chmil, Markie Lynn Collum, Kristina Coy, Amanda Leanne Creighton, Monica Darjee, Ashley Ann DeFelice, Diane Jennings, Giana Francesca Good, Jennifer Jaffe, Jacob Janosky, Therese Catherine Young, Nikita Lynn Kraynak, Matthew Laboranti, Morgan Maslousky, Elizabeth McGuire, Meghan Lee McHale, Alyssa Kate Melisky, Katherine Grullon Mendoza, Karli M Muto, Kathleen Pascual, Samantha Rosselli, Vita M Roa, Tami Lee Rowlands, Autumn Olivia Steibler, Kacie Szczech, Alexis Marie Tanana, Frank Turnbaugh, Shaquayjah Iyonnah Anderson, Kathryn Gallagher, Chasity Girton, Kelly Smith, Ms Izabella Grace Chmil, Nicole O’Boyle, and Amber Zelno.


Scholarship recipients are attending a variety of schools, including Luzerne County Community College, Bloomsburg University, Lackawanna College, Penn State Scranton, Wilkes Barre Area Career & Technical Center, Marywood University, Clarion University, Misericordia University, Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County, Graceland University, and Wilkes University.


To qualify for a Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship, individuals were required to show they have had a permanent address in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wyoming County for the last three years. Scholarships were available to those interested in obtaining a CNA and entering the healthcare workforce. Scholarships are also for anyone employed in the healthcare field in either Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wyoming County and looking to advance as an LPN or RN/BSN.
Additionally, students were invited to apply if they were in their third or fourth year of a four-year nursing degree and looking for financial assistance. Scholarship recipients were also asked to demonstrate a commitment to stay in the Northeastern Pennsylvania region. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation also invited ‘nontraditional’ students or those looking to return to school to obtain a nursing degree to apply for a Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship.

A group of people posing for a picture with a sign that says careers in care

2023 NEPA Health Care Foundation Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship recipients gather for a photo


Seated (l-r): Matthew Laboranti, Angelica Campbell, Izabella Chmil, Brianna Burford, Kathleen Pasual, and Monique Barnes; all Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation Careers in Care Scholarship recipients.


Standing (l-r): Frank Caputo, Scranton Area Community Foundation Grants and Communications Coordinator; Mary Jane DiMattio; Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member; The Honorable Terrence Nealon, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation Board Member; Donna Martucci, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation Board Member; Dr. Jay Bannon, Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation Board Member; Tracy Bannon, Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member; Michelle McGowan, Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member; Kerry O’Grady, Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member; Kari Machelli, Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member; Cathy Fitzpatrick, Scranton Area Community Foundation Grants and Scholarship Manager; Tina Jones, Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Committee Member.


The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people of the region and particularly those most vulnerable and most underserved of the population. The Scranton Area Community Foundation, a community foundation that has been serving the people of the Lackawanna County region since 1954, serves as the administrator of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation.

NEPA Health Care Foundation and Partnering Foundations to Provide $1.1 Million in Grants to Help Increase Staffing to Mental Health Services

October 1, 2024
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation, in collaboration with AllOne Foundation & Charities and the Moses Taylor Foundation, is providing approximately $1.13 million in grant support through a newly launched initiative to help increase the number of providers available to serve the increased number of clients with mental and behavioral health needs. One of the main barriers to nonprofit service providers’ abilities to meet this increased demand is difficulty attracting and maintaining a sufficient regional workforce with these professional qualifications. To help address this issue, the NEPA Health Care Foundation, established in 2011 and administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, established the Employee Assistance Grant program (EAP). The NEPA Health Care Foundation collaborated with the Moses Taylor Foundation and AllOne Foundation; Charities to support seven organizations providing mental and behavioral health services in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties with funding for staffing needs. The EAP grants will be distributed over a three-year period to support their ability to sustain a sufficient level of qualified behavioral health providers to meet community demand. Specifically, they will help to minimize employee attrition, aid in new employee recruitment and support the long-term sustainability of the mental health provider workforce. In response to an increased need for behavioral and mental health care services in the area, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation created this grant program as part of a three-year commitment to ensure continued support for these critical services. “The need for behavioral and mental health care services in our region is more pressing than ever,” said Jim Clemente, Board Chair of the NEPA Health Care Foundation. “These grants are designed to support the dedicated professionals on the front lines by addressing financial stressors and helping organizations retain and attract talent. By investing in our providers, we’re ultimately investing in the long-term health and well-being of our community.” The 2024 grantees are Allied Services for an enhanced assistance program for behavioral health team members; Children's Advocacy Center of NEPA for launching an employee assistance program to retain and attract behavioral health employees; Children's Service Center for an employee tuition and loan assistance program; Friendship House for the Friendship House ABA Program Staff Recruitment Initiative; Jewish Family Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania for investing in social workers; Scranton Counseling Center for the Scranton Counseling Center Employee Assistance Program expansion; and Volunteers in Medicine for the development of an employee assistance program in a nonprofit, free clinic setting. Over $400,000 in grant funding will be distributed in 2024 specifically to support the behavioral health care workforce. In addition to the EAP program, the NEPA Health Care Foundation provides scholarships through its Careers in Care program to increase the number of nurses able to provide care to the communities they serve. These critical scholarships support the education and training of CNAs, LPNs and RN/BSNs in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. To date, 158 scholarships have been provided through Careers in Care.
A group of people posing for a picture with a sign that says careers in care

NEPA Health Care Foundation Announces Rollout of Careers in Care Initiative

By Laura Ducceshi • June 26, 2024
SCRANTON, PA – During a time where the strains on the healthcare workforce in Northeastern Pennsylvania have been significant, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation announces its timely rollout of the Careers in Care program. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation’s Careers in Care initiative—which focuses on developing the regional pipeline of the healthcare workforce and the growth and development of the nursing workforce in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wyoming Counties—will provide a combination of grant funding and scholarship support to help move the needle on these critical areas. Careers in Care is a $1.5 million commitment over a three-year period (2020-2023). “The Foundation’s Board understands the strains that the regional healthcare workforce is facing and, through the Careers in Care initiative, strives to make an impact to address these critical issues,” said James Clemente, NEPA Health Care Foundation Board Chair. “Over the past year, we have seen just how timely this really is.” Through Careers in Care, the NEPA Health Care Foundation will provide grant support to a variety of organizations. These include Lackawanna College, for its three-year plan to enhance the pipeline of local healthcare professionals and increase the number trained and retained in the region; United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA for its Upward Economic Mobility Program, partnering with Johnson College to offer a workforce development program for unemployed and underemployed individuals interested in obtaining technical certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant or Medical Assistant—two high-demand health careers; and Johnson College, to establish a mobile training laboratory providing hands-on experience to teach students what it is like to work in the healthcare field. Additionally, the Foundation will fund the Greater Hazleton Partners in Education’s Career Pathways to Health Care Program, designed to promote learning about health science and medical professions for middle school students, where discussions will be led by health care professionals from the Lehigh Valley Health Network. The Careers in Care initiative will also provide funding to support the Children’s Service Center for their scholarship program addressing the lack of racially diverse behavioral health professionals; Northern Tier Industry & Education Consortium (NTIEC) to increase healthcare career awareness and work-based learning placements for regional high school students; and Saint Joseph’s Center for direct support professional wage increases. In addition to grant funding, the NEPA Health Care Foundation is establishing a $700,000 nursing scholarship program through the Scranton Area Community Foundation, which is targeted to support the growth and development of the nursing workforce in NEPA. The Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program will begin accepting applications in early March 2021 and will be open to students with demonstrated financial need who plan to pursue or who are pursuing nursing and who will practice in Northeastern Pennsylvania. An announcement in early March will provide detailed instructions on how students can apply through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s online portal. “These scholarships will provide the much needed financial support to students who may otherwise not have been able to further their education,” stated Director of Nursing and Associate Professor of Practice at Marywood University, Dr. Theresa Tulaney, PhD, MS, RN, GCNS. “In addition, it will allow students to focus on their education instead of having to work many hours to alleviate difficult financial situations,” she added. The rollout of the Careers in Care initiative comes after the completion of a regional listening tour which the Foundation conducted from May through September of 2019. The NEPA Health Care Foundation conducted 30 site visits across the region to determine the health workforce challenges from the perspective of multiple healthcare providers, colleges, universities, vocational schools, agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, and how the Foundation could best make an impact. “It was clear from discussions during our listening tour that there is a great demand for nurses at all levels. Supply is just not able to meet demand,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. She continued, “It was also clear that the development of the regional health workforce pipeline needs to continue to start earlier with students.” The Scranton Area Community Foundation administers the NEPA Health Care Foundation. Additional details about the Careers in Care Nursing Scholarship Program will be released in early March 2021. In addition to the Careers in Care initiative, the NEPA Health Care Foundation is also in the seventh year of a $3.2 million commitment to the Geisinger Commonwealth Medical School (GCSOM) for scholarship support for incoming first year medical students from Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties. The NEPA Health Care Foundation Scholars program covers full tuition for these scholars, who indicate a commitment to practice medicine in Northeastern PA.
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