WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (August 4, 2022) — The Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) Foundation has announced the winners of its 2022 health-care scholarship programs. This year, the IHCA Foundation awarded 78 scholarships totaling over $105,000 to assist Iowans who want to advance their health-care education and work in long-term care.
This is the highest number of scholarships awarded by the IHCA Foundation in a single year. In 2018, the IHCA Foundation offered fifteen scholarships totaling $15,000. This year, the IHCA Foundation received more than 190 applications for the 78 available scholarships.
"The IHCA Foundation is committed to helping develop experienced professionals to meet the growing needs of Iowans for long-term care. This year, we have significantly expanded our scholarship programs to meet the growing demand for health care workers in the face of current labor market challenges," said Lori Ristau, executive director of the IHCA Foundation. "It is inspiring to see the growth in the IHCA Foundation's health-care scholarship applications and the outpouring of interest in working in long-term care. These scholarship recipients are to be commended for their dedication and commitment to pursuing such a noble profession of helping others."
The IHCA Foundation has a long history of offering scholarships for current long-term care employees to advance their skills and for those interested in joining the profession, including high-school students and veterans. This year, the IHCA Foundation added two new scholarships, with one for Iowans who live in rural communities interested in joining the health-care profession and another for current long-term care employees seeking to advance their leadership skills.
Scholarship applications are evaluated by the IHCA Foundation Board of Directors based upon the applicant's experience, recommendations and future educational and career goals in long-term care.
This year's IHCA Foundation scholarship winners include:
John W and Kimberly D Grubb Registered Nurse (RN) Scholarship Recipients — This $3,000 scholarship is sponsored by the John R and Zelda Z Grubb Charitable Foundation, and it is for employees of IHCA member organizations pursuing an RN degree. Nine of these scholarships were awarded to the following recipients:
* Chelsea Apel, Chautauqua Guest Homes #3, Charles City
* Eyon Steffensen, Exira Care Center, Exira
* Lydia Ebeling, Savannah Heights, Mount Pleasant
* Michon Scott, West Ridge Care Center, Cedar Rapids
* Oluwatosin Johnson, Family Care Solutions, Davenport
* Patience Miller, West Ridge Care Center, Cedar Rapids
* Samantha Hagedorn, Accura Healthcare of Bancroft
* Saraha LeClair, Maple Heights Nursing Home, Mapleton
* Tara Gaa-Bluml, Regency Park Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center of Carroll
Linda Juckette Family Rural and Veteran Scholarship Recipients — This $2,000 scholarship is made possible by the Linda Juckette Family Gift Fund, and it is for Iowans residing in a rural Iowa county or having served in the military and interested in pursuing nursing or health-care administration programs or certification programs for dietary management, activities, social services, or reimbursement professionals in Iowa, with the goal of working in long-term care. Five of these scholarships were awarded to the following recipients:
* Corey Rasch, Kossuth County
* Edward Matovu, Staff Sergeant, Army
* Evan Rix, Second Lieutenant, Iowa Army National Guard
* Koffi Houngblame, SSG, Iowa Army National Guard
* Lynn Smithson, Iowa County
MolinaCares High School Scholarship Recipients — This $2,000 scholarship, made possible by The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation (MolinaCares), is for Iowa high-school seniors pursuing a certified nursing assistant (CNA), licensed practical nurse (LPN), RN, or Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) program. Fourteen of these scholarships were awarded to the following recipients:
* Aidan Klemm, Dowling Catholic High School, West Des Moines
* Alison Young, Interstate 35 High School, Truro
* Brooke Shannon, Murray School, Murray
* Emma Milder, Clinton High School, Clinton
* Emma Sperfslage, Monticello High School, Monticello
* Erica Sons, Assumption High School, Davenport
* Habib Saine, Fairfield High School, Fairfield
* Kyleigh Dolan, Hillcrest Academy, Kalona
* Lilly Weber, Linn-Mar High School, Marion
* Madison Koehn, English Valleys, North English
* Makenzie Dresback, Woodward-Granger CSD, Woodward
* Miranda Ring, Tri-Center High School, Neola
* Rylie Donahe, Humboldt High School, Humboldt
* Trinity Leonard, Interstate 35 High School, Truro
IHCA Member Employee Scholarship Recipients - This $1,500 scholarship is for employees of IHCA member organizations who are pursuing a nursing, health care administration or physical or occupational therapy training program, and is made possible by IHCA Districts, Iowa Council of Nurse Leaders, Iowa Society of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, The Vetter Foundation, Brighton Consulting Group, HPSI Purchasing Services, Right Dose, A Guardian Pharmacy and Robert and Shirley V Dahl Foundation. Twenty scholarships were awarded to the following recipients:
* Addison Schroeder, Homestead Assisted Living, Chariton
* Amber Conduff, Strawberry Point Lutheran Home Community, Strawberry Point
* Brenda Mc Gill, Care Initiatives, Des Moines
* Brianna Tentinger, Bavarian Meadows Assisted Living, Remsen
* Cambria Sebastian, Evans Memorial Home, Cresco
* Carlee Fleming, Monticello Nursing and Rehab Center, Monticello
* Danielle Glissman, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital, Humboldt
* Erin Schieltz, Madrid Home for the Aging, Madrid
* Hadley Tice, St Francis Manor, Grinnell
* Jaci Garien, Maquoketa Care Center, Maquoketa
* Kara Jones, Rock Rapids Health Centre, Rock Rapids
* Kayla O'Donnell, Spurgeon Manor, Dallas Center
* Laura Knudtson, Solon Retirement Village, Solon
* Lauren Gebauer, Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center, Des Moines
* Lauren Trende, Evans Memorial Home, Cresco
* Marah Larsen, Accura Healthcare of Stanton
* Paige Andrea, Bickford Cottage 1, Sioux City
* Riley Hunter, Accura Healthcare of Shenandoah
* Teresa Phillips, Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center, Des Moines
* Tracy Raisch, Scenic Living Communities, Iowa Falls
Iowa Total Care Leadership Training Scholarship Recipients — This scholarship is for managers at IHCA member organizations who are interested in advancing their leadership skills by attending the American Health Care Association's PHI Coaching Supervision Course, and it is made possible by Iowa Total Care. Thirty scholarships were awarded to the following participants:
* Amanda Peakcock, Vintage Hills, Indianola
* Amber Haag, Glen Oaks Alzheimers Special Care Center, Urbandale
* Brandon Comer, Glen Oaks Alzheimers Special Care Center, Urbandale
* Britauna Wolf, Fountains Senior Living, Bettendorf
* Carlee Fleming, Monticello Nursing and Rehab Center, Monticello
* Cheryl Morton, Aspire Nursing and Rehabilitation of Sutherland, Sutherland
* Crystal Letien, Longhouse-Northshire LTD, Spencer
* Erin Yarolem, Clarence Senior Living, Clarence
* Izabella Curtis, MeadowView Memory Care Village, Cedar Rapids
* Jared Hamil, The Bridges at Ankeny, Ankeny
* Jessica Andersen, Friendship Home Association, Audubon
* Jill Zirbel, Homestead of Algona
* Katherine Thornton, Good Samaritan Society, Davenport
* Kristen Milledge, Homestead of Chariton
* Krystina Cardin, Azria Health Prairie Ridge, Mediapolis
* Lauren Trende, Evans Memorial Home, Cresco
* Lindsay Remick, Sunrise Terrace Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Winfield
* Lindsey Stieger, Bickford Assisted Living, Iowa City
* Loann Smith, Carlisle Center for Wellness and Rehab, Carlisle
* Lynda Murphy, Summit Pointe Senior Living, Marion
* McKinnsey Bolton, Pleasantview, Kalona
* Miranda Lewis, Bickford Assisted Living, Davenport
* Penny Wiegand, Homestead of Oskaloosa
* Rebecca Lundy, ChildServe Habilitation Center/Homecare,Inc, Johnston
* Stacy Willard, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital, Humboldt
* Stephanie Raitt, Vintage Hills, Indianola
* Susan Wiley, Homestead of Mason City
* Tay VandeKamp, Carlisle Center for Wellness and Rehab, Carlisle
* Valerie McIntyre, ChildServe Habilitation Center/Homecare,Inc, Johnston
* Wendy Bonar, Bickford Assisted Living, Muscatine
About the Iowa Health Care Association Foundation
Founded in 1988 by the Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA), the mission of the IHCA Foundation is to foster excellence in long-term care for Iowans by building a stronger workforce. The IHCA Foundation carries out this mission by empowering individuals to reach their career goals in the long-term care profession through scholarships, career education, and career access programs. IHCA Foundation programs help support career opportunities available in the long-term care continuum, including nursing facilities, assisted living programs, residential care facilities, senior living communities, and home health agencies.
