WINTER HAVEN -- For the past several years, hospitals and care centers across the nation have been struggling to recruit and retain needed nurses.
Medical facilities in Polk County are no different.
But one local hospital is working to solve its staf-fing shortage through a new grant program that not only trains students to become nurses, but keeps them in Polk County.
Winter Haven Hospital's Mid-Florida Medical Services Foundation has started the Foundation Scholars Program, which provides financial assistance to area students working toward a nursing career.
Through this program, grant recipients must agree to begin their careers at Winter Haven Hospital, Regency Medical Center or with Mid-Florida Medical Services after completion of their training programs.
Students must agree to work locally one year for every year they receive financial assistance through the program.
"There is a national manpower supply shortage in the nursing area that has trickled down to state, regional and local areas," said Joel Thomas, executive director of the Foundation. "Our organization has taken on several initiatives to address this problem, one of them being the Foundation Scholars program."
The program was founded by Larry Tucker, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Mid-Florida Medical Services Foundation. Tucker came up with the idea to use the proceeds raised from the Foundation's fall gala to fund the program. His vision is to make this a permanent endowment fund.
According to Thomas, more than $180,000 was raised at the gala.
With these funds, the Foundation was able to name its first group of 10 students to receive financial assistance.
Foundation Scholars this year are: Serena Halfast, Rachel Huggins, Herminia Jaime, Doreen Corcoran, Kathy Williamson, Krystal Wilbanks, Cindy Nauck, Brent Rabern, Michele Murphy and Ursula Kelso.
All 10 recipients are enrolled in nursing programs either at Polk Community College, Traviss Technical Center in Lakeland or through an Internet program offered by the State University of New York.
"We plan on doing this on an annual basis," Thomas said. "But our ability to do that depends on our ability to grow the funds."
Thomas added that the Foundation has started an additional endowed scholarship program called the "Rynerson Family Scholarship Fund" that has recently awarded eight other students grant funds to attend local nursing programs.
"There are a lot of creative ways to provide help with this initiative, and we are willing to talk about it with anyone who is interested," Thomas said.
For more information about the Foundation Scholars program, call the Mid-Florida Medical Services Foundation at 291-6732.
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