September 18, 2001

FOR RELEASE: Immediately

Sometimes an experience in life will crystallize the direction that life will take. For Rebecca Minnick, of Sudlersville, it was the hospitalization of her 5-week-old daughter two years ago that set her firmly on track to become a registered nurse. For Galena resident Amanda Smith, it was the clinical part of her Health Services class at Kent County High School that clarified her goal to become a registered nurse.

Today, both women are students at Chesapeake College with the goal of earning an associate's degree in nursing. They are also the first recipients of the Katherine "Kitty" Anthony Clements Scholarship that is intended to assist individuals seeking to become health care professionals in a field necessary to meet the workforce needs of the Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital. The scholarship was created by the hospital's auxiliary in memory of Clements, a longtime member.

To launch the program, the Auxiliary pledged $50,000 from its 2001 Christmas Shop fund raiser and the hospital contributed $10,000. In addition to these funds, the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) which regulates hospital charges in Maryland, is sponsoring a program that makes funds available to hospitals to respond to nursing shortage issues. Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital submitted a proposal to offer loans to nursing students though the Clements Scholarship program and will receive approximately $28,000 each year for five years.

Scholarships will be offered annually as long as funds are available; applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Applicants should be planning to pursue careers in areas such as nursing, surgical technology, radiology or medical laboratory work. The program will fund a student's education in exchange for working a pre-determined length of service at the hospital while maintaining a grade point average of 2.5. A recipient may receive up to $5,000 over two years; funds may be used to pay for tuition, fees and books. Students applying for the program should be Delmarva residents.

Detailed information and applications are available from the human resources department of Kent & Queen Anne's Hospital located at 100 Brown Street, Chestertown, or by calling Leslie Stack at (410) 778-3000, extension 4006.

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