As part of its continuing commitment to expand and enhance medical care access for residents of Stanislaus and Merced counties, Legacy Health Endowment (LHE) is excited to announce a grant of $250,000 to Livingston Community Health (LCH).  

This grant will help create the Joelle and Robert Triebsch Health Scholar program at California State University, Stanislaus. The grant will cover tuition and specific educational costs for Stanislaus State nurse practitioner program graduates, particularly those who were scholarship recipients via the LHE/Stan State/LCH grant initiative.

The Triebsch Scholars program builds on the initial LHE grant to Livingston in 2018 to create the Master’s of Science in Nursing, Family Nursing Practitioner (FNP) program. More than 65 students have graduated from the LHE/LCH/Stan State program.  

The primary objective of the Triebsch Health Scholar program is to support those seeking their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Stanislaus State, which is currently under development in the University’s School of Nursing, and who agree to stay and work within the LHE service area, which spans southern Stanislaus County and northern Merced County. If there is an absence of applications from previous Stanislaus State nurse practitioner graduates, tuition assistance can be offered to new DNP students who agree to work within the service area for two years post-graduation.

“This generous grant from Legacy Health Endowment not only serves as a testament to the importance of advancing healthcare in our region but also signifies a brighter future for our residents,” said Leslie Abasta-Cummings, CEO of Livingston Community Health. “Through the Joelle and Robert Triebsch Health Scholar program at Stanislaus State, we see hope, progress, and the promise of providing dedicated and exceptional healthcare professionals to serve our community.”

Jeffrey Lewis, President, and CEO of Legacy Health Endowment said a lack of medical professionals – doctors, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses – negatively impacts people in this region, often forcing them to travel long distances to seek treatment.

“We firmly believe in fostering medical training programs that motivate graduates to serve the local community, thereby addressing this critical shortage,” he said.

The scholarship was created to thank Robert Triebsch, a well-known and respected local lawyer and original LHE board member, and to honor the memory of his wife Joelle, who died in 2020. 

Triebsch is a longtime supporter of California State University, Stanislaus, and serves on its Foundation Board of Directors.

“Joelle and I were both products of the UC system and chose service on boards of Trustees (UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Turlock High School, and Stanislaus State) as the method of paying forward the educational opportunities we were provided,” said Robert Triebsch. “I am, and I am sure Joelle would be, humbled by this honor.”

Joelle Triebsch graduated from Cal with a degree in landscape architecture. Robert Triebsch has degrees from UC Davis and UC Berkeley.

LHE’s funds are exclusively earmarked for charitable endeavors that bolster the health of residents within its service area. By partnering with Stanislaus State’s respected School of Nursing, Lewis said that LHE aspires to significantly boost the number of medical practitioners in health facilities across the region, fostering a holistic improvement in the accessibility and delivery of primary healthcare services.

“This collaboration underscores LHE’s dedication to fostering a healthier community,” he explained.

Susan E. Borrego, the interim president at Stanislaus State, said the university is committed to elevating the region by helping educate more medical providers who are culturally competent. She said she was honored when the campus was notified of the grant and hopes the program will connect graduate students with opportunities for local employment while helping to meet the increased need for medical practitioners in the Central Valley.

“This doctorate program will be the 15th graduate program on campus,” she said. “It will address the decades-long shortage of medical providers in the community.”

The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree is under development and is expected to be offered in the fall of 2025. For more information on applying for the program, please contact Mechelle Perea-Ryan at mperearyan@csustan.edu.