Lower Keys Medical Center donates $100,000 to CFK nursing program

Lower Keys Medical Center has contributed $100,000 to the CFK Foundation to expand support for nursing students and strengthen the local pipeline of registered nurses. The hospital’s gift is tied to Florida’s Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) grant program, a statewide effort to link health-care partners with nursing education to address the ongoing nursing shortage.

The CFK Foundation said the contribution enabled access to LINE funds intended to support enrollment and faculty, while the hospital’s matching contribution will provide scholarships to reduce financial barriers for eligible students in CFK’s associate and bachelor of science in nursing programs. Materials announcing the gift note that the LINE program was established by the Florida Legislature in 2022 to incentivize collaboration between nursing education programs and health-care partners.

Lower Keys Medical Center sits adjacent to CFK’s Key West campus and has served for decades as the primary clinical training site for CFK nursing students in the Lower Keys. Many CFK graduates transition directly into full-time registered nurse positions at LKMC upon licensure, a pathway hospital and college leaders say helps stabilize staffing in local wards and emergency services.

“Our strong relationship with The College of the Florida Keys is vital to the development of future clinical leaders in the Lower Keys,” said Drew Bigby, CEO for Lower Keys Medical Center. “This donation helps to continue the education programs offered by the College. We are proud to have many CFK graduates providing quality care at LKMC and serving our community.”

“This partnership with Lower Keys Medical Center exemplifies the power of collaboration to address critical workforce needs,” said Dr. Jonathan Gueverra, CFK President. “LKMC’s commitment is vital to the pipeline of skilled healthcare professionals who will serve our island community for years to come.”

Public materials indicate the hospital gift and the LINE funding will be used in tandem: the state funds to bolster faculty and enrollment capacity and the hospital contribution to directly underwrite scholarships. Announcements note the LKMC scholarships are open and applications are due by March 8, 2026, though application links and precise award amounts were not available in the public excerpts reviewed here.

For Monroe County residents, the investment carries immediate public health implications. Scholarships can lower financial barriers for local students - particularly Lower Keys residents - increasing the likelihood that newly trained nurses will remain in the community. Stronger faculty support and program enrollment can expand class sizes and shorten timeframes to licensure, easing pressure on hospital staffing and improving continuity of care.

Some public postings describe the funding relationship differently - saying the gift “unlocked” matching LINE funds while other materials indicate the donation “matches” a state award - and officials have not provided a detailed line-item breakdown in the public excerpts. Still, the collaboration underscores a local strategy to pair institutional support with state incentives to grow a homegrown nursing workforce.

For prospective students, community members and health-care employers, the key next steps are to confirm application details with the CFK Foundation and for CFK and LKMC to publish clarified allocation and matching mechanics so residents can assess how the funds will translate into new training slots, scholarships, and sustained staffing in local hospitals.