The West River Health Services Foundation recently selected their 2022 “Senior In High School Scholarship” recipients. Twenty area high school seniors applied for the six scholarships available. Fortunately, we were able to offer eleven individual scholarships totaling $8,000! With the exception of the Denim Day Scholarship (which is strictly eligible for sons/daughters of WRHS/WHLC employees entering any field of study), all of the remaining scholarships are for students entering a healthcare-related field of study only.
The Stippich Family personally selected their scholarship recipient and the WRHS Foundation’s Scholarship Committee then scored each of the twenty applications based upon a 100 point scoring system (including up to 40 points for their GPA/Academics, up to 30 points for their letters of recommendation and school/community involvement, and up to 30 points for their 300 word minimum essay). Our Administrative Scholarship Team then selected the following as recipients of the 2022 West River Health Services Foundation Scholarships:
These eleven scholarship recipients are from nine area communities and eight high schools within our vast West River service area – from Bowman/Scranton/Reeder to the west to Elgin/New Leipzig to the east and from Bison/Faith to the south up to New England/Mott in the north. This service area includes over 20,000 patients over 20,000 square miles!
Special thanks to: the families who have provided large memorial scholarship gifts in memory of their relatives; the families and individuals who have given to our Scholarship Program this past year (via donor gifts, payroll deductions, Perennial Plant Sale, etc.); the Scholarship Committee Members who reviewed and scored the applications (Leonard Bjerklie, Bonnie Smith, Cody Jorgenson, Bob Parker and Connie Burwick); and our Administrative Team who made the final selections based on the individual scholarship criteria and the individual application scores (Seth Fisher, Interim CEO; Ted Uecker, Fund Development Officer; and Kim Schalesky, Executive Assistant). We are grateful.
Congratulations to all of the twenty high school seniors who had the courage to apply. We appreciate your honesty and candor. We hope you will consider applying for our “Academic Loan Program” and our “College Upperclassmen Scholarships” when you are Juniors/Seniors in College or 2nd year students in a two-year program. We need you to receive further healthcare education, then consider returning to our safe area to raise families (where your children can participate in most everything) and take care of our patients via top paying jobs at West River and/or Western Horizons. The invitation is always open to you to apply for a job at West River Health Services and/or Western Horizons Living Centers. Heck, you might even want to inquire about our new “Internship Program.”
West River Health Services, the healthcare leader in Western Dakota, is comprised of a TOP 20 in the USA Critical Access Hospital in Hettinger, with full Radiology and Laboratory, including an Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Room Services, West River Ambulance Services, a Birthing Unit, Surgery Center, Rehabilitation Center, Eye Center, Visiting Nurses and Cardiac Rehabilitation. In addition, we operate six rural health clinics in Hettinger, Bowman, Mott, New England, Scranton and Lemmon, SD – where our hustling providers travel daily. With nearly 40 providers, including 14 physicians, 9 mid-levels, 5 physical/occupational/speech therapists, 3 behavioral therapists and 7 visiting specialists, we are super busy taking care of our area population. Plus we run our own 52-bed Western Horizons Care Center and 16-unit Western Horizons Assisted Living Center in Hettinger. And, if asked, our providers also travel to Care Centers in Lemmon, Mott, Bowman and Dickinson too. Overall, West River Health Services employs almost 300 people, including nearly 100 nurses! And West River has been here for 72 years -- since 1950!
West River Health Services Foundation is the fundraising and development arm for West River Health Services and Western Horizons Living Centers as they provide comprehensive health and wellness services for the residents and visitors to our region. If you’d like to make a contribution to our WRHS Foundation, please send check written out to: “WRHSF,” 1000 Highway 12, Hettinger, ND, 58639. Or contact Ted Uecker at 701-567-3666 anytime to learn more about our Scholarship Program and other areas. We need everyone to consider investing in our current and future top-notch healthcare, “close to home.” TOGETHER we are RURAL STRONG! Onward!