By Kristina Dillon

This past summer Mercy College’s Nursing Program received a one-year federal grant of $252,742, the largest Health Resources and Service Administration grant ever available.

“The availability of HRSA grants for our students supports Mercy’s mission to actively address the nursing shortage in the state and throughout the country,” said Dean of the School of Health and Natural Sciences Dr. Patricia Chute.

The funding was awarded by the Health Resources and Services Administration in order to help support the Mercy College Nurse Faculty Loan Program by providing financial help through loans for registered nurses enrolled in the college’s Masters of Science in Nursing or the Nursing Education Program.

“This grant will allow us to provide loan forgiveness for our nursing students,” said Chute. “With the national shortage of nurses, monies that support their education are critical to the overall healthcare initiative.”

Chute came to Mercy College from the Cochlear Implant Center at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat, Lenox Hill Hospital where she was the director, after realizing the immediate need for more health professionals in the field.

The nursing program offers an advanced degree program which prepares nurses to contribute to the advancement of nursing care through teaching, with the hope of increasing the opportunities for the students to attend nursing school. In return, they can aid the nation in the ongoing struggle of nurse and nurse educator shortages.

“These funds will help make a graduate degree a reality for many students and contribute to solving the urgent need for nurse educators that our country is now facing,” said Mercy College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Michael Sperling, in a recent press release.