Five-hundred people have been selected for the New York State Health Care Workers for Our Future scholarship, which provides two years in full-cost attendance to state students, regardless of income, who want to become a clinical laboratory technologist, radiologic technologist, registered nurse, respiratory therapist or surgical technologist.
Recipients must commit to working for two years after graduation in an underserved area in the state, according to an Aug. 26 news release.
The scholarship covers tuition costs that do not exceed the in-state tuition at a State University of New York college. Room and board "up to the average cost at SUNY colleges" is covered for on-campus students, with commuters set to receive an allowance. Books, supplies and transportation up to the average SUNY college cost are also included.
Gov. Kathy Hochul created the scholarship in an effort to regrow the state's healthcare workforce.
Her administration recently awarded $646 million over a three-year period to three workforce investment organizations to help train and recruit thousands of mental health, social care and healthcare workers in the state. The state also shared that it has paid more than $2 billion in bonuses to over 800,000 healthcare workers in New York through its Health Care Worker Bonus Program.
"These scholarships will not only help students achieve their educational goals but also ensure that communities across our state have access to vital health care services," Ms. Hochul said in the release.