This Spring, NCCF granted $119,091 to 19 community partners as part of the Spring Community Benefit Grants Program. A wide range of programs and projects are to be funded by these grants. Click here for a full list of grant awards.
The Healthcare Career Advantage Talent Pipeline Program of the Workforce Investment Board was awarded a $10,000 Community Benefit Grant. The program matches young professionals interested in pursuing a career in direct patient care with practitioners right here in Chautauqua County for paid six to eight-week internships that allow them to build a network right here at home while also honing their professional skills.
There is no secret that Chautauqua County has had difficulty in recent years keeping our young professionals in the area. Nationwide, there is a shortage of young people entering the healthcare field. The problem is exacerbated in rural areas where it is difficult to compete with the sign-on bonuses and salaries in more metropolitan areas. Enter the Healthcare Career Advantage Talent Pipeline Program. Through the paid internships, students from our area are connected with currently practicing healthcare professionals in their chosen field. This mutually beneficial arrangement provides help to our local practices, provides the students an opportunity to forge lasting, valuable relationships with other professionals, and gives them the chance to build their professional network and practice their learned skills while getting paid for their time, something a volunteer internship can’t offer. The program is also a long-term investment in the stability and health of our county; the goal is that students who have completed the internships will eventually make their way back to Chautauqua County to practice in the direct patient care field. Cultivating and retaining these young professionals has another broad-reaching benefit as well; a strong healthcare system in Chautauqua County may be a draw for young professionals in other fields as well. When we support our young professionals and create connections and opportunities for them right here at home, it benefits the community at large.
While patience is required to see the full scope of the benefits of the program for Chautauqua County, (medical students have many years of schooling and fellowships before they can choose where to settle and practice in the healthcare field), evidence of these benefits can already be seen in some cases. Dr. Paul Robbins, a former intern through the Healthcare Career Advantage Talent Pipeline Program, has earned an MD in pediatrics and is currently working in the healthcare field right here in Chautauqua County. On his experience with the program, Dr. Robbins said, “The professional network I developed during my internship through Chautauqua Works heavily influenced my decision to practice medicine in my hometown despite other more lucrative job offers elsewhere.” Emma Lilly completed her internship through the program in the laboratory at Brooks Memorial Hospital, where she was hired after the completion of her internship. Emma said that the internship, and her continued employment by Brooks Memorial Hospital, “allows me to get patient experience in healthcare and patient hours for PA school!”
The program, now in its eleventh year, determines how many young professionals can participate based on the funding received for that year. This year, the program will be able to provide internship opportunities for up to three students in northern Chautauqua County, thanks to the Community Benefit Grant awarded to them by NCCF. These grants are funded by our Community Benefit Funds, which are unrestricted in use and allow for maximum flexibility in grantmaking. Because of this, they also are the most impactful in our community. Make a contribution to this or any other fund by clicking the DONATE button above, and together we can continue to make a real difference in our community!
If you or someone you know is a student who could benefit from an internship through the Healthcare Career Advantage Talent Pipeline Program, please email Jody Cheney at jcheney@chautauquaworks.com to be placed on the mailing list, so you will be first to know when applications are being accepted. Available internships are filled on a first come, first served basis.