August 2, 2023 – Cleveland Clinic has received a gift of more than $12 million from The Howley Foundation to double the number of nurse scholars at Cleveland Clinic, beginning in fall 2023.
In recognition of this new generous gift and the Foundation’s cumulative support, all programs within the ASPIRE initiative at Cleveland Clinic will be renamed to honor the Howley name including the Howley ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program.
The nursing program is for local high school and college students, and seeks to increase diversity in healthcare, address opportunity gaps and reduce health disparities in the community.
The gift will allow the nurse scholars program to double enrollment to approximately 50 students from Cleveland-area high schools each year.
Students enter the program as high school juniors and are taught an innovative curriculum that provides an exploration of the nursing profession, as well as socialization and integration into healthcare. High school graduates then have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to pursue a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College.
Students work as patient care nursing assistants at Cleveland Clinic during the summer after high school graduation and throughout their college career. They then have the opportunity to return to work as registered nurses at a Cleveland Clinic facility after college graduation and licensure.
Launched in 2017, the program was the brainchild of Kelly Hancock, DNP, Chief Caregiver Officer of Cleveland Clinic and the holder of the Rich Family Chief Caregiver Chair, and Lorie and Nick Howley. It has been sustained by the generosity of The Howley Foundation that has committed more than 20 million dollars to date, and other donors, such as Beth E. Mooney and the KeyBank Foundation.
In December 2022, the nurse scholars program celebrated its first five graduates who are now employed as full-time registered nurses at Cleveland Clinic. More than 15 students are expected to graduate from Ursuline College with nursing degrees by 2024.
The Howley ASPIRE Program also offers additional pathways for other healthcare careers including respiratory therapy, surgical technology and sterile processing.