Record Enrollment in Nursing, Respiratory Care, and Allied Health Programs Signals a Growing Local Solution to Sullivan County’s Healthcare Workforce Crisis
SUNY Sullivan’s 2026 health sciences graduates are entering the Sullivan County workforce this year with combined annual starting salaries estimated between $5.4 million and $6.2 million. These 84 professionals will be filling the healthcare jobs on which Sullivan County’s hospitals, clinics, and communities depend.
Thirty-one registered nurses, 18 respiratory therapists, and 35 medical assistants and phlebotomy technicians make up the 2026 graduating class, the vast majority of whom have obtained employment. Based on starting base pay rates at local employers, registered nurses are earning between $84,656 and $92,976 per year. Respiratory therapists are earning between $69,954 and $89,232 per year. Medical assistants and phlebotomy technicians are earning between $45,760 and $52,000 per year. These figures reflect base pay only and do not include shift differential, holiday pay, or overtime.
“Every student who earns a health sciences credential at SUNY Sullivan contributes to improving the health outcomes of everyone in our county,” said SUNY Sullivan President Dr. David Potash. “These graduates — our neighbors, friends and family members — want to be here, staffing our emergency rooms, supporting our nursing homes, and building careers in the community we call home.”
The economic impact of this graduating class is made more significant by the context in which they are entering the workforce. Sullivan County has just 1.4 primary care physicians per 10,000 residents, one of the lowest rates in New York State. A 2025 report by NYS Comptroller DiNapoli identified a documented and severe healthcare workforce shortage in the region, one that strains local healthcare providers and affects the quality of care available to every county resident.
SUNY Sullivan graduates are going directly into that gap. They are being hired by Garnet Health, local nursing homes, home care agencies, ambulance corps, and physician practices across Sullivan County, taking jobs that local employers have struggled to fill through outside recruitment.
“I am especially proud to know that the faculty and staff in the SUNY Sullivan Health Sciences programs helped to shape the next generation of healthcare professionals for our county,” said Dr. Chyrise E. Taylor, DNP-BC, director of the SUNY Sullivan Nursing Program. “The success of these graduates is a testament to the SUNY Sullivan faculty and staff who give their all to impart the knowledge, skills, and abilities these graduates need in the 21st century.”
“As a 30-year-old adult learner, SUNY Sullivan gave me an affordable, local entry point into nursing that changed the trajectory of my life — not just a pathway into a meaningful career, but the ability to support my family,” said Charles Miller ‘14, BSN RN, SUNY Sullivan clinical adjunct nursing faculty. “Today I teach here, provide healthcare to my community, and am pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice at Binghamton University. None of that happens without SUNY Sullivan.”
Behind this year’s graduating class is an enrollment story that points to an even stronger healthcare workforce in the years ahead. Enrollment in SUNY Sullivan’s health sciences programs has grown by more than 50 percent over the last two years, a surge driven by expanded access, community demand, and the college’s sustained commitment to building the workforce Sullivan County needs.
Nursing enrollment has grown from 51 students in Fall 2024 to 88 in Spring 2025 — a 72 percent increase. Respiratory Care has nearly quadrupled during that period, from nine students to 35. Medical Assistant enrollment has more than doubled, from 18 to 38.
“This growth is not an accident,” said Potash. “It is the result of deliberate investment in programs that Sullivan County needs, delivered in a way that makes them accessible to the students who need them most.”
The college’s health sciences portfolio now spans the full spectrum of healthcare careers. The Phlebotomy microcredential and CNA training program, offered on an accessible evening schedule designed for working adults, provide fast, affordable entry points into the healthcare field. The EMT training program, offered in partnership with BOCES, is training the emergency responders that rural Sullivan County’s ambulance corps and fire departments depend on. The Direct Support Professional program is growing in direct response to a statewide shortage in services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
A significant driver of the enrollment surge has been the SUNY Reconnect Scholarship, which covers tuition, fees, books, and supplies for eligible New York adults ages 25 to 55 who do not yet hold a college degree and are pursuing programs in high-demand fields, including nursing, respiratory therapy, and medical assisting.
Many of SUNY Sullivan’s newest health sciences students are career changers, people who spent years in retail, hospitality, or other sectors and are now pursuing more stable, meaningful, and better-compensated careers in healthcare. For these students, the combination of free tuition through Reconnect and SUNY Sullivan’s accessible evening scheduling has removed virtually every barrier that previously stood between them and a healthcare career.
“These are not marginal additions to our enrollment,” said Potash. “They are the future of our health sciences programs and the future of Sullivan County’s healthcare workforce.”
For more information about the SUNY Reconnect Scholarship and SUNY Sullivan’s health sciences programs, contact the Office of Admissions at admissions@sunysullivan.edu or call 845-434-5750 ext. 4255.
Note: Salary estimates are based on publicly available starting base pay rates at UHS and Garnet Health for new graduates working 40 hours per week. Figures do not include shift differential, holiday pay, or overtime.
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About SUNY Sullivan: SUNY Sullivan is the leader of innovative higher education and a catalyst for workforce development throughout the Sullivan Catskills and beyond. A forward-looking, top-tier community college in New York, SUNY Sullivan offers dozens of degree programs, certificates, and microcredentials for learners at all levels of their educational goals. Our diverse community cultivates personal growth and professional advancement, preparing students for success in a sustainable and interconnected world. We value critical inquiry and creativity while supporting our students in a culture of inclusion and respect.