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August 23, 2017The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation awarded $6,000 in scholarships to area students to assist with their educational costs for the 2017 fall school semester.
Receiving $1,000 scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation were Jenny Sawyer of Houston, Mattison Davison, Shanda Melton, Miranda Prock of Mountain Grove, and Mackenzie Whitaker of Salem.
Sawyer is pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing through Central Methodist College in Fayette, MO. She is a registered nurse and is employed full time at TCMH as the infection control director.
Davison, Melton, and Prock are all graduates of Mountain Grove High School.
Davison has a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. She’s currently enrolled in the doctorate of pharmacy program at University of Missouri in Kansas City.
Prock has a bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University in Springfield. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology at Missouri State.
Melton, a registered nurse at TCMH, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing through Cox College of Nursing in Springfield, MO.
Whitaker, a Licking High School graduate, is pursuing training as a registered nurse at Missouri State University, West Plains campus.
Davison, Sawyer, and Prock have all been previous recipients of scholarships through the TCMH Healthcare Foundation.
The endowed Dr. Joe L. and Judith T. Spears Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded one $1,000 scholarship to Jesse Kuhn of Salem.
Kuhn, a Salem High School graduate, is a pre-med student at Missouri State University. Kuhn is the son of Anita Kuhn, controller at TCMH, which makes him eligible for the scholarship program although he’s a graduate of a school outside of the Texas County service area.
“Educational scholarships are one of the focus areas of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation,” Jay Gentry, Healthcare Foundation director, said.
The Healthcare Foundation holds an annual golf tournament to raise funds for educational scholarships for area students. The Healthcare Foundation has received $3,000 in matching funds from Healthcare Services Group Foundation (HSGCF).
The HSGCF program provides matching financial assistance to students awarded financial assistance by hospitals that are members of the Healthcare Services Association and insured by the Missouri Hospital Plan. Specifically, HSGCF matches scholarships or healthcare related tuition reimbursement provided by non-profit member hospitals throughout Missouri. This scholarship program is designed to facilitate, attract, and retain healthcare providers in Missouri.
“The matching funds from HSGCF enable us to boost the amount of our fall scholarship,” Gentry said. “Every dollar helps these area students with their educational costs, and we’re grateful for the additional funds to award.”
The Healthcare Foundation awards educational scholarships for students pursuing additional higher education each spring and fall. With the recent scholarship awards, the Foundation has awarded $81,500 in scholarships to area students since the program began in 2007.
“The Healthcare Foundation administers the scholarships for the endowed funds, and the scholarships also go to employees working in healthcare-related fields in Texas County and surrounding areas,” Gentry said.
According to Gentry, the Healthcare Foundation intends to award two more $1,000 scholarships prior to the spring school semester in 2018. The Foundation will accept applications for the spring scholarships beginning in November.
Applications for the scholarships are available through the Foundation or on the TCMH website.
“The Foundation board of directors recognizes the growing need for healthcare providers in rural America,” Gentry stated. “It is the hope of the Foundation that these scholarships will assist in attracting and retaining qualified residents to work in the local healthcare fields.”
The fall 2017 TCMH Healthcare Foundation scholarship recipients (left to right): Jenny Sawyer, Mackenzie Whitaker, Jesse Kuhn, Mattison Davison, Miranda Prock, and Shanda Melton. Each recipient received $1000 from the Healthcare Foundation.