The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has received a $125 million gift to establish a tuition-free program to recruit, educate and deploy nurse practitioners in underserved communities across the county, reports the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The gift was made by Leonard A. Lauder, a Penn alumnus and the chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies. Lauder, the eldest son of founder Estée Lauder, was formerly the company's chairman and CEO. His estimated net worth is $25.9 billion, according to Forbes.
Former Penn President Amy Gutmann, in a statement to PBJ.com, called the gift "unprecedented in its potential to address America’s most critical need of providing primary health care to all who currently lack it by investing in nurses."
The donation, according to Penn, is the largest gift ever to an American nursing school.
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PBJ.com looks at how the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program will look to deliver more skilled nurses.
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