Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

KeyBank’s largest-ever donation in Rochester goes to nursing school

Representatives from KeyBank and Rochester Regional Health announce that KeyBank's largest-ever donation in the Rochester area will establish a scholarship fund at the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing
Rochester Regional health
Representatives from KeyBank and Rochester Regional Health announce that KeyBank's largest-ever donation in the Rochester area will establish a scholarship fund at the Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing

KeyBank made its largest-ever contribution in the Rochester area to a scholarship fund for nursing students at Rochester Regional Health, the two companies announced Thursday.

It’s the second recent effort to make nursing training more affordable locally, after the University of Rochester Medical Center announced last week it was slashing tuition rates for nursing students.

Now, KeyBank has donated $450,000 to fund scholarships to Rochester Regional’s Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing.

"We look forward to hearing the many stories of success that will continue to emerge from Rochester Regional Health as this program grows," said James Barger, KeyBank's Rochester market president.

Deborah Stamps, vice president for quality and patient safety at Rochester Regional, said the scholarships will help bring in people who are typically underrepresented in nursing.

“Two of our scholarship recipients today are males. There’s a critical need to increase males in nursing, and they’re doing it. That’s really important in caring for the needs of a diverse population and community like Rochester,” Stamps said.

Ryan Hoyt, one of those male scholarship recipients, said he has been working full-time as a cardiovascular technician while also going to nursing school.

“The grant’s going to allow me to work less hours. It’s going to allow me to focus more on school, because this program is very demanding. It takes a lot of us many hours of study outside of school itself, when we’re trying to keep up with our work hours,” Hoyt said.

The scholarship is need-based, Stamps said, aimed at helping people who otherwise would be hard-pressed to come up with the money to attend nursing school.

“This is going to give me the ability to pursue my dream,” said Hoyt.

Brett was the health reporter and a producer at WXXI News. He has a master’s degree from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.
Related Content