(LANCASTER, Calif. – June 24, 2015) — For the 21st consecutive year, the Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH) Auxiliary has shown its support for the future of healthcare in the valley by awarding scholarships to 15 local high school students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
“One of the greatest contributions we can make as a hospital is to help encourage young people to pursue a career in healthcare and to live out their dreams,” said AVH Auxiliary Scholarship Chair Bobbie Patton. “Physicians, nurses, technicians, therapists and others will all be needed to keep up with the growing demand of our community; and it is our hope that many of these students will choose to care for patients in our valley when they complete their studies.”
Each of the students selected by the auxiliary scholarship committee received a $1,000 scholarship to go toward their healthcare-related studies and training. To be eligible, applicants must have been accepted to study a health career curriculum at an accredited college, university or technical school. Chosen from a pool of 67 deserving applicants, each of the recipients – representing seven local high schools – has a minimum 3.5 grade point average and attends high school within the Antelope Valley Union High School District as well as Mojave, Boron, Rosamond and Vasquez high schools.
Scholarship recipients include: Kathryn Davis, Chau Le and Cassandra Quijada of Quartz Hill High School; Cindy Noriega, Stepheny Saavedra, Jelci Barraza and Oscar Buenrostro of Palmdale High School; Jeanie Paek and Ryan Bugsch of Highland High School; Stephanie De La Melena of Lancaster High School; Jamie Gordon, Arshlee Mamangun and Carmela Martinez of Knight High School; Alexis Gomez of Littlerock High School; and Irene Ramos of Antelope Valley High School.
Between the aging of baby boomers and people living longer than ever before, there is already a national shortage in many healthcare fields including primary care physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and others. All indications are that this shortage will continue to worsen, making the training of the next generation of healthcare professionals more vital than ever.
The AVH Auxiliary provides support to the hospital by raising funds and by providing services to support the mission of AVH. Fundraising activities include running the hospital gift shop, thrift shop, auxiliary bake sale and seasonal sale events. In addition to its annual health career scholarships program, some of the auxiliary’s past pledges benefited the Women and Infants Pavilion and OB clinic, continuing-care nursery, neonatal intensive care unit, labor and delivery, emergency department expansion, and state-of-the-art equipment for the critical care unit.
“Our auxiliary is a critical part of helping Antelope Valley Hospital fulfill its mission and demonstrating what not-for-profit healthcare is all about,” said AVH CEO Dennis Knox. “Our heartiest congratulations go out to these 15 outstanding high school students as they start their journey in an industry filled with good work, good people and good hearts.”
About Antelope Valley Hospital
Celebrating 60 years of caring for the community, Antelope Valley Hospital is located in the city of Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County. The 420-bed district hospital is a Level II trauma center and provides a full array of medical/surgical services, pediatric treatment, NICU, mental health, cancer care and more. More information is available at www.avhospital.org or by calling 661-949-5000.
Back row left to right: volunteer, Mary Overton; AVH Volunteer Coordinator Mary Binkowski; volunteers Millie McMillan, Harriet Lee, Marsha Pedersen and Bobbie Patton. Front row left to right: scholarship recipients Carmela Martinez, Jeanie Paek, Ryan Bugsch, Chau Le and Jamie Gordon. Other recipients not pictured include Kathryn Davis, Cassandra Quijada, Cindy Noriega, Stepheny Saavedra, Jelci Barraza, Oscar Buenrostro, Stephanie De La Melena, Arshlee Mamangun, Alexis Gomez and Irene Ramos.
