Le Moyne to use $5M grant for grad students seeking health degrees

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College will use a five-year, $5 million state grant to support graduate students enrolled in certain health-care programs. The money comes from the new statewide Healthcare Education and Life-skills Program (HELP). The HELP initiative assists students pursuing careers in health care by offering wrap-around services and support to address the workforce shortages across the health-care sector, Le Moyne said. 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 therapy. The $5 million grant from the New York State Department of Health will start on Jan. 1, 2026. It represents the second largest in Le Moyne’s history behind the $7.2 million received in 2022 to fund the ERIE21 program. “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,” Le Moyne President Linda LeMura said in an announcement. “It was truly a collaborative effort across the College.” This HELP initiative is part of a broader $10 billion in funding announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2022 with a goal of rebuilding and expanding the health-care workforce. The program’s goal is to address health workforce shortages by providing support services to health-care trainees, thereby enhancing the career pipeline and improving access to health care training in underserved areas. HELP offers annual funding availability of $19.5 million, Le Moyne said.

The program HOPES

This student funding and support program will be called Healthcare Opportunities for Professional and Educational Success (HOPES). In addition to financial support for more than 50 students each year, the program will involve three programming pillars: transition into the program, transition to the profession, and transition to practice. Le Moyne College’s Office of Graduate Admission and Success and the Purcell School will oversee the program’s implementation, the school noted. The tiered approach will provide support to onboard, retain, and qualify graduate students in the health-care field. It ties directly to Le Moyne’s strategic plan, called “Tomorrow Together.” The plan 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 of the whole person. “The grant will increase resources critical to running programming, coaching students and providing vital services to support student success,” Meega Wells, dean of the Purcell School for Professional Studies, said. “It will benefit our graduate healthcare students in many ways throughout their journey through their respective programs.”