The Texas County Memorial Hospital Healthcare Foundation awarded $6,500 in scholarships to area students to assist with their educational costs for the 2015 fall semester.
Receiving $1,000 scholarships from the TCMH Healthcare Foundation were: Cheryl Branum and Megan Silveus of Houston; Madison Bates and Cameron Kuhn of Licking; and Miranda Prock of Mountain Grove.
Bates is part of the licensed practical nurse to registered nurse bridge program at Texas County Technical College. She is also a nurse at the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston.
Branum is pursuing an associate’s degree in nursing through Missouri State University in West Plains. She is also employed as an in-home aide with TCMH Home Health of the Ozarks.
Kuhn is a student in the practical nursing program at TCTC. She is also a clerk in the registration department at TCMH.
Prock, a senior at Missouri State University, is pursuing an undergraduate degree in communication sciences and disorders with plans or pursuing a master’s degree in speech pathology.
Silveus is a 2015 graduate of Houston High School. She is enrolling at Missouri State University in West Plains and plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
The endowed Dr. Joe L. and Judith T. Spears Memorial Scholarship Fund awarded one $1,000 scholarship to Victoria Floyd of Houston, who recently began pursuing the doctorate of pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has obtained an associate’s degree from MSU-West Plains and completed prerequisite courses for the pharmacy program at MSU.
Kylie Howell, of Licking, received the $500 Dr. Eugene Charles Honeywell Memorial Scholarship. She was chosen by the healthcare foundation directors and Carol Honeywell, the widow of Dr. Eugene Honeywell.
Howell graduated from Licking High School in May and is attending Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar. Howell plans to pursue training to become a physician. She also received the $500 TCMH Youth Ambassador scholarship for volunteer efforts at TCMH the past year.
“Educational scholarships are one of the focus areas of the TCMH Healthcare Foundation,” said Jay Gentry, foundation director.
The foundation holds an annual golf tournament to raise funds for educational scholarships for area students. The healthcare foundation also hopes to receive $3,000 in matching funds from Healthcare Services Group Foundation (HSGCF), a program that provides matching financial assistance to students awarded aid 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 $65,000 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 before the spring school semester in 2016. 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.”