FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:    

MARGE SULLIVAN, PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, 561-833-6333

MELANIE OTERO, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, x11

JENNIFER MARTINEZ, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, x19

WEST PALM BEACH, FL— Palm Healthcare Foundation is urging Palm Beach County residents pursuing a career in the healthcare workforce, particularly students who represent culturally diverse and underserved groups, to apply for its needs-based Health Profession Scholarships.  Recipients will receive not only financial assistance, but also free, individual guidance and support from a mentor now working in the field. Applicants must be pursuing full-time education for a health-related career and apply by May 18, 2007.

According to a 2005 study by the Florida Hospital Association, approximately 8% of hospital nursing positions are vacant, and the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation projects that an additional 8,060 registered nurses will be needed each year through 2011 to accommodate growth and replace nurses who separate from the workforce. 

The Foundation is also helping to address the nursing faculty shortage in the community by offering a scholarship for graduate students pursuing a nursing faculty course of study.  Scholarship applications for both groups must be completed online at www.palmhealthcare.org by May 18, 2007.

A distinguishing feature of the Foundation’s scholarship program is the pairing of mentors with undergraduate scholarship recipients.  “We understand that, to be successful, the support of our scholarship students must go beyond just helping to finance their education,” said Suzette W. Wexner, Palm Healthcare Foundation president.  “Healthcare professions programs are academically demanding and can present a number of challenges, especially for students who are working and/or raising a family while in school.  Sometimes, just having someone who believes in you can mean the difference between success and failure.  We believe that through mentoring support and sharing of professional expertise, our scholarship recipients will be better positioned to successfully complete their academic programs and, ultimately, move into a healthcare career in Palm Beach County,” said Wexner.

Another distinctive feature of Palm Healthcare Foundation’s scholarship program is the requirement for graduates to join Palm Beach County’s healthcare workforce and teaching faculty.  After graduation, scholarship recipients must work in Palm Beach County for one year for each year of scholarship funding they receive from the Foundation.  “We’re committed to growing the healthcare workforce in Palm Beach County” said Wexner.  “We also want to grow the cultural diversity of our healthcare workforce so that it mirrors the diversity of our community.  For example, 16% of Palm Beach County is Hispanic, but only approximately 9% of nursing degrees in the County are awarded to Hispanics.”

A complete list of eligibility criteria and applications for Palm Healthcare Foundation scholarships are available at www.palmhealthcare.org.  Applications must be completed online.   For individuals who do not have internet access, computers are available at the Foundation by appointment.  Under limited circumstances, the Foundation will accept paper applications, but the individual must contact the Foundation to discuss in advance.  For more information, please contact Clarisse May at (561) 833-6333, or by email at cmay@phfpbc.org.  Final scholarship award decisions will be made in July 2007.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $14 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.