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MCC Daily Tribune

County Executive Bello Announces $11M ARPA Investment to Address Health Care Staffing Shortage

The following news release was issued by Monroe County Executive Bello's office on Tuesday, Oct. 10 (go online for a gallery of images from the news conference):

ARPA funding awarded to Finger Lakes Performing Provider Systems and Monroe Community College long-term care workforce program

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced $11 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to expand two of Finger Lakes Performing Provider Systems’ (FLPPS) nursing workforce development programs to address nursing shortages throughout the county.

“The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on the shortage of skilled healthcare workers in our county. With this $11 million ARPA investment, we are creating a long-term solution to this problem by breaking down barriers and creating pathways to career advancement in nursing," said County Executive Bello. "Thank you to FLPPS and Monroe Community College for working together on this important initiative to bring more skilled workers into the medical workforce.”

$5.5 million of ARPA funding is allocated to the FLPPS Long-Term Care Workforce Program to establish career pathways systems with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that will cover training costs, tuition and other employee-related expenses for certified nurse assistants (CNAs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs). The program's goal is to expand service capacity with participating SNFs and home health care agencies.

An additional $5.5 million of ARPA funding is awarded to FLPPS for a workforce development partnership with MCC for their Transforming Lives Through Nursing Pathways Program. The funding expands and strengthens clinical programming at MCC to serve more students and offers academic success coaches to nursing students and wraparound support services, such as child care and transportation.

“MCC is committed to creating a stronger nursing workforce pipeline to fill current and future employment needs for local health care organizations, opening doors of opportunity for job seekers who want family-sustaining careers, and providing professional development training for more entry-level certified nurse assistants to move up the health care career ladder. Investing in their education benefits our students, patients and the Greater Rochester community. The Transforming Lives Through Nursing Pathways initiative is a shining example of the profound, positive impact achieved through collaborations among industry, academia and government, including with Monroe County, the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System, and University of Rochester Medical Center. Together, we are uplifting the lives of students – especially underserved Rochesterians – across all ZIP codes in the region and strengthening the area’s economy.” — Robin Cole Jr., D.Sc., vice president of economic and workforce development and career technical education at MCC.

This project was selected as part of Bring Monroe Back, Monroe County's plan that will utilize federal funds received through the ARPA. Through the efforts of Congressman Joseph D. Morelle, and Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Monroe County is the recipient of $144,080,127 in local fiscal recovery funds.

Read the full news release online.

Hency Yuen-Eng
Community Relations
10/11/2023