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Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation Awards Scholarships to Leaders in Nursing

Posted on: Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 15:01 CDT

BELLEVUE, Wash., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- To encourage nurse practitioners (NPs) to take a proactive approach to improving health care in their communities, and to promote diversity within the NP profession, the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation (NPHF) offers scholarships to NPs who are continuing their education and making an impact in their fields. The scholarships, supported through grant funding from Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca, will help recipients pay school tuition and fund current programs and research in their areas of interest.

"These scholarships recognize and provide support for nurse practitioners who are leading the way to minimize health care disparities and provide quality care in their communities, emulating what the NPHF aims to achieve nationwide," says NPHF President Phyllis Zimmer, MN, ARNP, FAAN.

NPHF/Procter & Gamble 2007-2008 Community Service and Gastroenterology Endowed Scholarships

These $1,000 scholarships recognize commitment to community service or gastroenterology.

Diane Nunez, RN, MS, ANP-BC

Originally from Tempe, Ariz., Nunez teaches at Arizona State University in Phoenix, and maintains an active clinical practice in community health. Nunez works at the Escalante Health Center as program coordinator for a health program emphasizing the functional health, physical fitness and quality of life of older adults. In addition to coordinating the program, Nunez takes on the role of fundraising to ensure the service is free to Phoenix residents. As part of her doctoral studies, she is developing a Chronic Disease Disability Prevention (CDDP) program for older adults with the aim of improving quality of life and reducing health care expenses.

Jennifer Hill, MN, FNP

A nurse for 10 years, Hill has experience in NICU, geriatrics, academics and gastroenterology. Raised in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, she gives back to her home state, working in the pediatric gastroenterology department at Blank Children's Health Center in Des Moines. Hill is constructing a plan to open a clinic for children with obesity-related gastrointestinal issues. Through this clinic, overweight children will learn how weight affects health, and each child will meet with gastroenterologists, dietitians, counselors, personal trainers and other experts. In addition to helping the child and child's family, Hill plans to distribute educational materials to school nurses and other appropriate influencers in the form of handouts, DVDs and presentations.

NPHF/AstraZeneca 2007-2008 Diversity Scholarships

Ninety-four percent of the existing NP workforce is Caucasian. "NPHF and AstraZeneca strongly support efforts to ensure that the NP profession is representative of our nation's population diversity," says Zimmer. "These $5,000 scholarships provide educational support for minority students, who will be among those in the profession meeting the public demand for culturally relevant care."

Ukamaka Oruche, MSN, PMHNP

Originally from Fishers, Ind., Oruche is focused on child and adolescent mental health, working with children in outpatient mental health clinics, schools and juvenile detention centers. Her mission is to make care accessible to her patients and to minimize the stigma associated with mental health illnesses. Oruche commutes to visit patients, minimizing barriers to care and increasing the involvement of family members. With such a diverse group of patients, she knows first-hand the importance of using culturally sensitive treatment approaches, and invites staff and patients to attend monthly cultural competency meetings.

Jimmy Reyes, MSN, A/GNP

Raised in Santiago, Chile, Reyes learned about the nursing profession early in life from his grandmother, who was a nurse. He relocated to North Liberty, Iowa, and is currently pursuing his doctorate in nursing practice. Reyes plans to open a free clinic to bring quality health care to migrant farm-workers, minority groups, the elderly and Spanish-speaking populations. An avid volunteer, Reyes works for Proteus Migrant Health Clinic, where he treats mainly Spanish-speaking older adults. This experience opened his eyes to the importance of providing culturally sensitive care, inspiring him to organize monthly "cultural cafes" for students and faculty.

Brenda Trogdon, MSN, ARNP, FNP

Trogdon has a broad range of nursing experience. From neonatal ICU to providing health care to the homeless to working with HIV/AIDS patients, her passion for her work shines through. Continually providing care to the underserved, Trogdon lives in a rural region of Florida and opened a free clinic out of her home to treat African-American, Hispanic and Native American populations with limited health literacy. At the same time, she runs a military base medical facility for teens at risk. In the future, Trogdon plans to open a free clinic in her hometown of Starke, Fla.

The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation

In 2005, a group of pioneering nurse practitioners launched the Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to raising the bar in health care, contributing to excellence in care and bringing NPs to the forefront of the larger health care arena. The NPHF works on behalf of the entire nurse practitioner profession to make high-quality, effective care accessible through research, education, health policy, service and philanthropy. The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Visit http://www.nphealthcarefoundation.org/ for more information and for a listing of current opportunities.

MEDIA CONTACT: Danielle Davis (312) 861-5240 Danielle.Davis@mslpr.com

The Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation

CONTACT: Danielle Davis, +1-312-861-5240, Danielle.Davis@mslpr.com, forThe Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation

Web site: http://www.nphealthcarefoundation.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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