Iona College Awarded Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Grant to Continue Supporting Vulnerable Communities Across New York
$400,000 grant supports Iona’s continued training of tomorrow’s health care heroes
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Iona College today announced a continuation of funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to improve health and human services during a time of unprecedented need. The foundation awarded Iona a $400,000 grant to support the Iona Interprofessional Education (IPE) program, designed to prepare students for real-world challenges by training them across various disciplines.
With this generous foundation support, Iona will continue to elevate and expand opportunities for the next generation of nurses, educators, speech pathologists, mental health counselors, school psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers and occupational therapists – all of whom will have a direct impact on the individuals and communities they are trained to serve.
“The mission behind Iona’s IPE program is to encourage students to explore the power of collaborative learning and practice to address complex needs of health and well-being to serve the community,” said Darrell P. Wheeler, Ph.D., MPH, ACSW, Iona provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “Thank you to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for recognizing and supporting this important work. We will continue to strive for new heights at Iona College.”
Most notably, the College is developing a premier school of health sciences in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian, the #1 hospital in New York, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Hospitals rankings, to train the next generation of world-class health professionals. Established in July 2021 and supported by a $20 million gift, the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences is expected to be a model for mission-based collaboration between higher education and health care in service of the public good, offering unparalleled access to clinical placements and full-time career opportunities.
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services. The foundation – which is named in memory of a tireless advocate for immigrants, children, and the poor – provides flexible support for new and innovative approaches that enhance health and wellness across New York.
“After nearly two years of recovery from a pandemic that has hit vulnerable populations the hardest, we must continue to address the challenges communities across New York State are facing: food and housing insecurity, lack of access to basic healthcare including vaccines, lack of equity within the health care professions, and racial and economic healthcare disparities made worse during COVID-19,” said Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, chief executive officer of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. “We must continue to support the full range of services that make for healthy people and communities.”