Intermountain Healthcare donates $90K for diversity scholarships to SUU and Southwest Tech students

Southwest Technical College was the fastest-growing public institution of higher-education in the state of Utah according to recently released data, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 16, 2021 | Photo by Ammon Teare, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — Intermountain Cedar City Hospital, working with Intermountain Healthcare’s Community Health team, presented a total of $90,000 toward student scholarships to local higher education schools Southern Utah University and Southwest Tech.

(L-R): Marvin Dodge, SUU Vice President of Finance & Administration; Dr. Jon Anderson, SUU Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Selwyn Layton, SUU Assistant Professor of Nursing; Eric Packer, Cedar City Hospital Administrator; Cyndi Wallace, Cedar City Hospital Nurse Administrator; Craig Corry, Cedar City Hospital Director of Finance; Stuart Jones, SUU Vice President for Advancement and Enrollment Management, Cedar City, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare, St. George News

Southern Utah University received $60,000 in scholarships for minority students, as part of the Diversity in Nursing Scholarship program, according to a press release Intermountain issued Thursday.

These scholarships, of up to $3,000 per semester per student, are awarded to SUU nursing students enrolled full-time, and can be used to cover the cost of tuition, books, fees and any other barriers including child care or transportation, that may prevent culturally-diverse students from enrolling or continuing their education.

Mindy Benson, SUU interim president, said in the news release, “We’re so grateful for our partnerships with Intermountain Healthcare, and grateful for the strong and generous support of our nursing students. Providing support and opportunities for students from all socio-economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds is vital, and we thank Intermountain for this scholarship donation.”

Eric Packer, administrator at Cedar City Hospital, said in the press release they are proud to support the outstanding nursing program at SUU.

“Cedar City Hospital is an official clinical site for the SUU nursing department, which provides an opportunity for student nurses to learn and train in a real-life healthcare setting,” Packer said. “We know first-hand just how exemplary the nursing program is at SUU because Cedar City Hospital ends up hiring many of their graduates. They are an integral part of why our hospital is one of the best rural hospitals in the nation.”

Intermountain Healthcare Cedar City Hospital has collectively donated $220,000 in the last six years to the Diversity in Nursing Scholarship program at SUU.

(L-R): Kylee McBride, Southwest Tech Nursing Faculty; Lori Nickerson, Southwest Tech Phlebotomy Faculty; Candice Cox, Southwest Tech Medical Clinical Assistant Faculty; Dusty Hunter, Southwest Tech Medical Clinical Assistant Faculty; Eliza DeMille, Southwest Tech Pharmacy Technician Faculty; Marie Smack, Southwest Tech Nursing Faculty; Brennan Wood, Southwest Tech President; Charlie Gray, Southwest Tech Health Professions Faculty, Eric Packer, Cedar City Hospital Administrator; Cyndi Wallace, Cedar City Hospital Nurse Administrator; Tim Hatch, Southwest Tech Director of Nursing; Craig Corry, Cedar City Hospital Finance Director; Jordan Merrill, Intermountain Community Health Program Manager, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare, St. George News

Intermountain also gave $30,000 to Southwest Tech, based in Cedar City, toward a bridge program for scholarships to promote diversity in healthcare.

This donation is one of the first of its kind, said Jordan Merrill, Intermountain Community Health program manager.

“We’ve donated to many organizations throughout the state, but this will hopefully be the first of many more to come and directly benefit students in this way and in this area,” Merrill said. “Our partnership with Southwest Tech is what has spearheaded this and hopefully will pave the way for other technical colleges and universities to provide funding to bridge the work that is being done with healthcare and our educational systems.”

The work that Southwest Tech does is so important and is seen on a daily basis throughout their health care entities, he added.  

Southwest Tech President Brennan Wood said this donation is a generous and far-reaching donation.

“I am thankful to have wonderful partners such as the Cedar City Hospital who invest in the future of our students and support technical education,” Wood said. “The donation of $30,000 will have an immediate impact on our region and improve access to healthcare training in seven different health profession programs.”

Intermountain’s Community Health team is working to improve the health and well-being of the community by improving mental well-being, preventing avoidable disease, improving air quality and addressing the social determinants of health.

Learn more here.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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