The Olympic Medical Center Foundation has awarded $292,000 in scholarship funds to the first wave of students who have applied for the newly-established awards that enable students to pursue educational opportunities in medicine.
OMC Foundation Executive Director Bruce Skinner, who announced the awards at the OMC Commissioner’s meeting last week, said that applications are still being accepted for the foundation’s scholarship fund, which totals $500,000 for the year.
The grants are designed to increase the number of healthcare workers in Clallam County, and to allow current OMC employees and others to further their education and pursue medical careers at Peninsula College, he said.
The application is available on the OMC Foundation website at omhf.org.
Thirteen scholarships — 11 going to students who will be attending Peninsula College — were awarded to Whitney Christiansen, Kristina Connor, Crystal Douglas, Bailey Dunning, Erin Ewing, Kayla Forshaw, Kaylee Oldemeyer, Abigail Raphael, Ilene Rogers, Jack Sisson, Cheyanne Svec, Michelle Williams and Tamee Woods.
Five of the above received George and Barbara Brown Scholarships, which is part of the scholarship fund. Originally the program was approved by the foundation for $400,000 in donations, but Brown contributed an additional $100,000 to increase the scholarship fund amount.
Workforce demands
Growing the workforce is one of the most significant challenges facing the healthcare industry and OMC today. The foundation initiated this program along with OMC to increase the potential employee pool that OMC can draw from.
It is anticipated that half of the $500,000 will go to employees seeking continued education in health care, while the other half will go to area students who want to take medical courses at Peninsula College.
“One of the biggest obstacles that current employees, adults who want to change careers, and students face when they want to enter or advance in the healthcare field is the cost; we want to take that out of the equation,” Skinner said.
“We couldn’t be more excited about the Foundation’s support and development of a scholarship program to give OMC team and local community members the opportunity to pursue or further their education in health care,” OMC Chief Nursing Officer Vickie Swanson said.
“OMC is committed to working and supporting team members in their professional growth and development and sees this opportunity as a benefit to the individual, to Olympic Medical Center, and the residents of Clallam County,” Swanson added. “We look forward to developing and growing our caregiving workforce at OMC.”
Scholarships will be prioritized for individuals pursuing healthcare education in fields that provide direct patient care.
For more information about the application submission process, call the OMC Foundation office at 360-417-7144.
Those interested in more information or in making a donation to further enhance healthcare in the area can call the OMC Foundation office at 360-417-7144, email to bruce@omhf.org, or mail donations to: OMC Foundation, 1015 Georgiana St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
“We hope that many local people will become a part of our fundraising efforts,” Skinner said.
