Cleveland Clinic has received more than $12 million from the Howley Foundation, a gift that will double the number of nurse scholars this fall.
As part of the health system's ASPIRE initiative, local high school students are taught about the nursing profession. They enter the program as juniors and upon graduation work as patient care nursing assistants at Cleveland Clinic during the summer after they graduate high school and throughout their college career. There are also scholarship opportunities available for those interested in pursuing a BSN.
The gift will enable the program to double enrollment to about 50 local high school students. To honor the donors, the program will be renamed to the Howley ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program.
"It's essential that we diversify the pipeline of our future healthcare workforce, including nurses, to better represent our patients and the communities we serve," Tom Mihaljevic, MD, president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, said in a news release. "We are grateful for the Howley's continued support and passion for increasing diversity and equity in our next generation of caregivers."
The Howley Foundation is a nonprofit focused on promoting social and economic mobility through education opportunities.