Lackawanna College Awarded $300K Grant to Expand NEPA Healthcare Workforce

Lackawanna College has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the NEPA Healthcare Foundation to help grow and retain northeastern Pennsylvania’s healthcare workforce through new and existing health sciences programs.

“This regional initiative deepens our relationships with NEPA health facilities, with a focus on providing an awareness of healthcare career opportunities and ensuring that Lackawanna College Health Sciences students continue to receive the high-quality education and licensure required to enter the field,” said Kelly Musti, Lackawanna College Dean of Health Sciences. “This grant will enable us to reach students at the beginning of their higher education journey, enhance our existing programs and establish additional programs in the areas that we serve.”

Lackawanna College will use the funding to launch the Healthcare Career Exploration Partnership in collaboration with local school districts, which will introduce students at the middle and high school levels to career opportunities in multiple healthcare disciplines. The main goal of this program will be to encourage qualified students to enroll into health sciences programs immediately after high school, ultimately increasing and diversifying the number of healthcare professionals trained and retained in NEPA.

Funds will also be used to support Lackawanna College’s existing health sciences programs and help establish Certified Clinical Medical Assistant programs at two of its locations.

“Through the Careers in Care initiative, the NEPA Health Care Foundation strives to make an impact to address the strains that the regional healthcare workforce is facing,” said James Clemente, NEPA Health Care Foundation Board Chair. “Introducing various healthcare fields to students at a younger age will ultimately help to increase the number of trained healthcare professionals in NEPA.”