Posted on July 8, 2025 View the blog
On June 26, Cook County Health and the Cook County Health Foundation celebrated the fourth cohort of Provident Scholarship Fund awardees, celebrating scholarships for 106 students who are pursuing careers in the medical field and are from, or committed to caring for, underserved communities. More than $1.5M in scholarships are being awarded, representing the largest number of awardees and scholarships given since the program’s inception in 2022. More than half of the awardees are returning students who received scholarships last year and are continuing in their degree program.
“Cook County Health and the Cook County Health Foundation are to be commended for their work in growing the scholarship program,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “Nationally, there is ahealthcare workforce shortage, which will have far-reaching consequences on individuals and communities. Helping support students financially allows them to focus on their studies so they can be the health care leaders of the future.”
The Provident Scholarship Fund provides $20,000 scholarships to health professional students, including those in doctorate-level medical and dental programs, as well as physician assistant, behavioral health, and nurse practitioner programs. The fund also provides $10,000 scholarships to allied health students, including nursing, surgical and radiology technology, respiratory therapy, paramedic, and behavioral health programs.
“There are myriad challenges that are facing health care organizations, and workforce is among the top,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, CEO, Cook County Health. “But the growth of the Scholarship program and the continued interest from prospective students pursuing careers in healthcare is a testament to this generation’s strong desire to make a difference in their community and gives us a lot of hope.”
The American Hospital Association is projecting a shortage of more than 100,000 critical healthcare workers nationally by 2028, including 73,000 nursing assistants, while the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036.
Last year, a report from the Cook County Health Office of Behavioral Health identified that 30,000 behavioral health workers are needed to meet county residents’ needs. In response to this, the Scholarship is providing grants specific to behavioral health.
Applicants for the scholarship were evaluated on their academic achievements, recommendations, and personal statements. Consideration was also given to the candidates’ Cook County zip code and where it fallson the Social Vulnerability Index.
The goal of the program is to remove barriers for students coming from communities that historically have faced greater challenges, including access to education, economic opportunities, transportation, food or medical care.
With this year’s recipients, the Provident Scholarship has awarded more than over $4M in scholarships since its establishment in 2022. Cook County Health invested $1.5M in this year’s scholarship awards, withadditional funding coming from the Cook County Health Foundation.
“We are incredibly proud to support the next generation of healthcare professionals through the Provident Scholarship Fund,” said Verlon Johnson, Chair of the Cook County Health Foundation. “This investment is not just in individual students—it’s in the future of equitable healthcare. These scholars reflect the diversity, dedication, and resilience needed to meet the urgent health needs of our communities, especially those that have historically been underserved.”
The scholarship program is named after Cook County Health’s Provident Hospital. Provident Hospital was founded in 1891 by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. It was the first hospital in the U.S. that was owned and run by African Americans, and it cared for people of all races.
The Provident Hospital Scholarship Fund is one of many educational initiatives being supported by Cook County Government, including Project Rainbow, which aims to inform, inspire and impact children, studentsand families across the County. For more information on Project Rainbow visit https://projectrainbow.cookcountyil.gov/.
For more information about the Provident Scholarship Fund, visithttps://cookcountyhealth.org/about/careers/provident-scholarship-fund/.
