The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation announced this week that it would award two $500 scholarships for fall 2008. Applications for the scholarships are being accepted.
The TCMH Healthcare Foundation Educational Scholarship Program is designed to assist students that are pursuing or planning to pursue education in a healthcare-related field. The TCMH Healthcare Foundation plans to award two $500 scholarships in the spring and two $500 scholarships in the fall. An endowed scholarship is also being funded by the foundation.
In the spring of this year the foundation awarded scholarships to radiology students from Houston and Edgar Springs.
“One of the focus areas of the healthcare foundation is educational scholarships,” said Jay Gentry, TCMH Healthcare Foundation director. “The board of directors of the foundation recognizes the need to assist areas students in their educational endeavors with hopes that the student will return to or stay in the Texas County area to provide healthcare services to area residents after receiving additional education.”
The foundation hosts an annual golf tournament to raise money for the scholarship program.
Eligible students for the scholarships must be accepted to or enrolled in an accredited university, college or post-secondary training program in a healthcare-related field. Only residents of the TCMH service area (a 40-mile radius of Houston) are eligible to apply.
The scholarship application asks for information about the student and requires a short essay about the student’s career and educational goals. The foundation board has also changed the application process. Applicants will be asked to list community involvement activities on their application and to meet with foundation board members for a short personal interview.
The deadline for the fall scholarships is July 1. Awards will be announced by Aug. 1.
In addition to raising money for healthcare scholarships through the healthcare foundation’s annual golf tournament, Gentry noted that the foundation is also able to set up scholarships that are named in memory or in honor of someone.
“The foundation hopes to grow our scholarship program to the point that we can give much larger scholarships that will cover the cost of tuition for students pursuing education in a healthcare field,” Gentry said.
For more information about the scholarship program or to receive an application, contact Gentry by phone at 417-967-1377 or 866-967-3311, ext. 377, or by e-mail at jgentry@tcmh.org.