Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced Monday her push for $67 million in funding to go to Area Health Education Center, which trains medical professionals and connects young students with work experience in the medical field.

“Over the last year and a half, our health care system and providers have been under historic levels of stress. They have worked night and day at greater risk to meet the rising levels of demand and to keep their fellow New Yorkers safe and healthy, and they desperately need reinforcements," said Gillibrand.

Area Health Education Center's goal is to bridge this gap, by inspiring young kids to pursue careers in health care.

“Our Scrubs Clubs program that the senator had mentioned works with high school students to introduce them to careers in health care, particularly careers that are most in demand in New York state," says Megan Deichler, of the Catskills-Hudson Area Health Education Center.

Almost 5 million New Yorkers live in a health care shortage area, including in Newburgh. In fact, all of Orange County is a health care shortage area, and this was the case even before the pandemic.

Gillibrand says she sees the funds as a way to ramp up the next generation's health care workers.

“You can have all the money in the world in your health care system. You can have the best hospitals in your community, you can have the best equipment in those hospitals, if you don’t have the people working to take care of patients, none of the rest matters," says state Sen. James Skoufis.

Gillibrand hopes to see this funding reflected in the Senate's final appropriations package for the year 2022.