San Antonio, TX - Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio (BHFSA), the Tenet Healthcare Foundation and Baptist Health System are pleased to announce a $2 million scholarship program that will help make a higher education accessible for economically disadvantaged high school graduates in our community who want to pursue a career in healthcare.
As a part of BHFSA's traditional scholarship program (initiated in 2005), this new initiative is being managed by and funded with a $1,076,000 grant from BHFSA. A generous gift of $1,000,000 to be paid over the next five years is being given to the scholarship program from the Tenet Healthcare Foundation, part of Tenet Healthcare, the parent company of Baptist Health System.
The need-based scholarships will go to students enrolled in health-related academic programs at the Bachelor’s degree level and below. Priority will be given to graduates from six school districts: Edgewood, Harlandale, San Antonio, South San Antonio, Southside, and Southwest. After being awarded to students in the six school districts, remaining funds will be awarded to graduates from other San Antonio area school districts. Scholarship dollars will be given to 12 universities and colleges in the San Antonio area that have health related academic programs such as Nursing, Pharmacology, Social Work, Psychology, Nutrition, Dental, Medical, Counseling, Therapeutic Care, Hospital Administration, and EMT. Scholarships will also be awarded to students enrolled in post‐baccalaureate health related programs on the basis of need and merit.
Cody Knowlton, President and CEO of BHFSA, said giving priority to these high school districts presents a double opportunity to impact the health of the community. “First, by making an education possible to those who need it most, and second, since education is the great equalizer, having an education leads to better health, better jobs, better family life, better housing and better opportunities to get out of poverty,” said Knowlton. “This priority does not exclude students with need in other school districts around San Antonio. It just gives the first shot to those six districts that have the highest need.”
“It is our privilege to help support the education of the next generation of healthcare providers,” said Ron Rittenmeyer, Executive Chairman and CEO of Tenet Healthcare. “When we invest in the education and training of our young people, we help secure the health and wellness of generations to come.”
“This scholarship ensures that our future caregivers represent a cross section of our community and rewards students who have excelled but who may not have equal access to the resources needed to realize their dreams of a career in healthcare, said Matt Stone,” President and CEO of Baptist Health System. “We are very excited to be a part of helping to make dreams come true for these students and their families.”
San Antonio College is one of the 12 schools that will receive funds for the new scholarship. “Access to this type of support can mean a lifetime of difference for a student,” said Dr. Robert Vela, President of San Antonio College. “It’s the start that many of our students need to put them on a path of success for the rest of their lives.”
“This type of commitment to our community is exactly what we need to help San Antonio grow and thrive,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. “When we help those in our community that have worked hard to overcome challenging situations, they often pay that forward when they succeed. So it’s this type of investment in our young people that pays dividends for decades.”
Some of the factors taken into consideration in selecting the priority districts included the percent of population below the poverty level, per capita income, unemployment levels, educational attainment, crowding level (percentage of housing units with more than one occupant per room), dependency amount (combined percent of the population under age 18 and above age 65), affordable rental costs and life expectancy.
Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio has awarded more than 10,000 scholarships since its inception for a total of nearly $12 million.