Hospital Scholarships Help Train Medically-Minded

Three graduating high school seniors and eight Providence Hood River employees will get help with their continuing medical training, thanks to the hospital's high school scholarship program and the hospital auxiliary's employee scholarship program.

Hood River Valley High School senior Yesenia Valdez volunteered at dental clinics in Mexico and La Clinica del Cariño in Hood River. She now plans to pursue a career in dentistry and was awarded the $1,000 Providence Hood River Sandy Wood Memorial Medical Staff Scholarship. Julie Martz and Karen Bastian plan to study nursing at Columbia Gorge Community College; Julie received the $1,000 Providence Hood River Aileen Gaddy Nursing Scholarship and Karen won the $1,000 Providence Hood River Medical Field Scholarship. All three students were on hand at an awards ceremony to kick off National Healthcare Appreciation Week in May and were honored again during Senior Scholarship Night at the high school on May 31.

Also honored at the Healthcare Appreciation event were eight Providence employees who will continue their education with help from the Providence Hood River Auxiliary. This year, over $6,000 in awards went to Dan Gaston, Erika Magana, Tasha Odd, Koni Utley, Elizabeth Martin, Lynn Sutton, Jamie Adams, and Jennifer Anthony. All eight are taking a class or a course of work to improve their clinical skills or to learn new ones. The Auxiliary has provided over $40,000 in employee scholarships since 1996. "The employees we work with are so dedicated to their professions," says Auxiliary scholarship committee chair Shirley Ekker. "The hospital offers tuition reimbursement, but there are so many other expenses involved with going back to school. We are proud to be able to make this difference for our employees."

Photo Caption: Providence Hood River Community Relations Coordinator introduces high school scholarship winners Julie Martz, Karen Bastian and Yesenia Valdez to hospital employees during National Healthcare Appreciation Week. Each student won a $1,000 scholarship to study for a career in healthcare.

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News Contact:
Barbara Young
541-387-6342 (PHRMH)