Under the county’s Healthcare Careers Program, you could get a big chunk of your tuition paid for, receive assistance for transportation and child care and get placed in a job.

“The ECHC program is an absolute, tremendous success,” Zachary Evans, the county executive’s senior economic development specialist, said Thursday. “It is directly impacting our community in a positive way, getting Erie County residents in training programs and into health care professions to help our significant staffing shortage here in the county.”

This program originally started in 2010 as a federally funded grant program, but the grant program came to an end last year. To keep it going, the county allocated $1.3 million toward the program this past fall.

But the county underestimated how many people would apply for it. The federal program previously resulting in 110 residents training to become licensed practical nurses a year, so the county thought it had enough money to cover this year, assuming more than twice the number of applicants enrolled. Instead, 485 people already have applied to the program as of the start of this month. The total this year is expected to exceed 500, Evans said.

The program doesn’t just support nursing students, though training for licensed practical nurses and registered nurses comprise the majority of all program applicants, Evans said. Applicants may also be people who wish to become surgical, medical and physical therapy assistants, lab technicians, surgical or radiologic technologists, among other professions.

Because the program is so popular, the County Legislature on Thursday cleared the way to approve another $1.4 million to sustain the program. The money would come from state casino revenue.

The aim of the program is to help clear barriers for low-income residents interested in a health care career field while also helping to address health care industry shortages. The county program pairs eligible applicants with more than half a dozen local colleges and training providers, most of whom offer career training and degree programs ranging from seven weeks to two years. Some qualified careers, like a bachelor of nursing degree, would require longer schooling.

Given the interest, the program is expected to fill quickly. Among the eligibility requirements, applicants must:

• Be an Erie County resident.

• Have a high school degree or GED.

• Make less than $25 an hour.

• Meet individual program entrance requirements.

• Complete financial aid applications for other sources of support.

Most colleges offer programs in September and January, though Erie 1 BOCES has a program for licensed practical nursing starting in November. Other participating institutions include SUNY Erie Community College, Trocaire College, Villa Maria College, Daemen University, D’Youville University, University at Buffalo.

The longstanding, national nursing shortage has been attributed to supply not keeping up with demand as more nurses have retired or reach retirement age at the same time that the aging population needing nursing care continues to grow, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Stress and turnover, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, have also contributed to shortages, as well as capacity limits of nursing schools.