NYC Health + Hospitals Launches Workforce Development Program for Behavioral Health Nurses
The Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder will help participants build a career in behavioral health nursing Participants will receive educational support and financial assistance to enroll in nursing school in exchange for a 3-year commitment to NYC Health + Hospitals
May 21, 2025
New York, NY — As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder, which will provide 24 staff with educational support and financial assistance to enroll in nursing school. In exchange for a three-year commitment to NYC Health + Hospitals, participants will receive tuition assistance, coverage of exam fees, and support moving into full-time behavioral health nursing roles at the health care system after earning their nursing license. The participants will be selected this month, and program activities will launch in the coming weeks. The goal of the initiative is to develop a group of individuals who are invested – both intellectually and financially – in advancing their career at NYC Health + Hospitals, while building our health system’s behavioral health nursing capacity. The program is funded with $550,000 from the Solon E. Summerfield Foundation and $50,000 from The Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation, Inc.
Today’s announcement builds on the range of initiatives that NYC Health + Hospitals has launched to grow and support its behavioral health workforce, including the Psychiatric Physician Assistant Career Pathways Program, the NextGen Public Psychiatry Leadership Program, and the BH4NYC Loan Repayment Program. The health system’s investments in recruitment, particularly for high-demand, licensed staff working in behavioral health settings, has resulted in nearly 500 new hires across NYC Health + Hospitals’ 11 acute care facilities. The unprecedented rate at which NYC Health + Hospitals is attracting and onboarding new providers to the city’s health system is driven by a combination of citywide recruitment campaigns, loan repayment, professional development incentives, retention initiatives, its enhanced reputation as an employer, and a robust partnership with Human Resources. With a behavioral health workforce of approximately 5,000 staff, these new hires represent a nearly 10% increase in its capacity.
“Our workforce is the backbone of the City’s health care system,” said NYC Health + Hospitals System Chief of Behavioral Health Services Omar Fattal, MD, MPH.“Providing opportunities for career advancement like this program – in addition to our other workforce development initiatives – helps our staff build a career in their field as well reflects the health care system’s deep commitment to fostering a strong and sustainable behavioral health workforce.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals administration and nursing leadership recognizes the fact that an active, purposeful and vigorous commitment to recruitment, mentorship and professional development is necessary to attract and retain nurses and nurse leaders, and we aim to consistently and constantly put in place programs designed to enhance job satisfaction by helping our workforce achieve their goals, grow and thrive in our public health system,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive Natalia Cineas, DNP, MSM-N, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FADLN. “The new Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder will enhance, recognize, and reward professional development among our staff while at the same time, creating a powerful pipeline of well-trained behavioral health nurses who will in turn, enhance our compassionate, patient-centered care and provide positive patient outcomes. The implementation of the Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder is an important evolution of our commitment to promoting staff professional development, which in turn, helps us as a system to strengthen all aspects of patient care delivery.”
“The new Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder is a meaningful investment in both our workforce and the future of behavioral health care delivery in New York City,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer Deborah Brown, JD, MSW.“We are deeply grateful to the Solon E. Summerfield Foundation and The Louis and Rachel Rudin Foundation for their generous support. Philanthropic contributions like theirs play an important role in helping us create innovative programs that empower our staff and expand their opportunities for professional growth.”
“Over the last few years, our grantmaking research and partnerships have increasingly underscored the growing need for youth mental health services,” said Laurel Dumont, Senior Director, Grantmaking, Solon E. Summerfield Foundation. “While New York City is home to many mission-driven, high-quality health care providers, too many face barriers to advancing within the workforce. NYC Health + Hospitals’ Behavioral Health Nursing Career Ladder program creates meaningful pathways for individuals to grow professionally, while also helping address staffing shortages. We are proud to have partnered with NYC Health + Hospitals to launch this life- and system-changing program.”
“We are thrilled to launch this new initiative to support NYC Health + Hospitals’ behavioral health nursing workforce,” said Sophie Pauze, Senior Director, Strategy & Impact, Office of Behavioral Health, NYC Health + Hospitals. “This program, along with our robust portfolio of workforce development strategies, helps make NYC Health + Hospitals the go-to place for careers in public behavioral health.”
NYC Health + Hospitals is the go-to place for careers in public behavioral health. For behavioral health providers and professionals motivated by mission-driven work, the health care system offers an unparalleled professional opportunity to have a community impact. Its multifaceted workforce strategies invest in recruitment, training, and retention, sending a powerful message to the system’s behavioral health workforce that we recognize, value, and reward their commitment to our health system.
In 2024, NYC Health + Hospitals:
- Welcomed 61 Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner students for clinical placements in psychiatry. This cohort also attended a biweekly didactic program to strengthen their knowledge and support their recruitment into our system.
- Expanded its partnership with the Community Health Network (CHN) to support early-career Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners develop foundational behavioral health skills and increase confidence in practice. Since launching in 2023, 21 participants have benefited from this opportunity.
- Established the Psychiatric Physician Assistant Career Pathways Program, allowing Physician Assistant (PA) students to rotate through behavioral health clinical placements and didactics, fostering interest in the field. In 2025, the health care system will welcome the first cohort of seven Psychiatric PA Fellows for a 12-month fellowship that combines clinical work, didactics, mentorship, and a capstone project. The program is funded by the Behavioral Health Centers of Excellence and the Mother Cabrini Foundation.
- Introduced the NextGen Public Psychiatry Leadership Program, a new initiative for third-year Psychiatry Residents to enhance their training through mentorship, lectures, and site visits—nurturing long-term interest in public sector psychiatry.
Collectively, these initiatives reflect the health care system’s deep commitment to fostering a strong and sustainable behavioral health workforce.
NYC Health + Hospitals has also launched new initiatives to retain its behavioral health workforce. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, the health care system awarded $4 million in student debt relief to over 170 of its behavioral health clinicians through the BH4NYC Loan Repayment Program since launching in 2022. This was on top of the $1 million already awarded to staff in 2023. To date, the BH4NYC Loan Repayment Program has provided student debt relief to 36 new staff and 135 incumbent staff who collectively reach nearly 100,000 patients annually.
If you would like to donate to NYC Health + Hospitals, please visit this link on our website.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
