Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals Award Scholarships

June 4, 2018

Greenville, MI – June 4, 2018 – Each year, Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals awards scholarships to well-rounded, graduating seniors who plan to pursue careers in the medical field. Students from seven area school districts were eligible to apply (Belding, Cedar Springs, Central Montcalm, Greenville, Lakeview, Tri-County and Rockford). The scholarship program is made possible through the collaboration of the hospitals, the Spectrum Health Foundation United and Kelsey Hospitals, and the medical staff at Spectrum Health United and Kelsey Hospitals.

“Health care scholarships align with the purpose of our foundation general fund to support the mission and vision of our hospitals,” says Shelly Westbrook, director, Spectrum Health Foundation of United and Kelsey Hospitals. “We are extremely proud to be supporting the future of health care.”

The scholarship program is intended to help offset the high cost of education and to encourage students to pursue health care careers in our communities. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and be admitted to an accredited college or university. Each recipient receives a one-time, $1,000 scholarship to be applied to their tuition.

Recipients of the scholarships are Dana Smith, Belding High School; Julia VanDenHout, Cedar Springs High School; Emily Boley, Central Montcalm High School; Sydney Zayler, Greenville High School; Caleb Inman, Lakeview High School; Sarah Polkowski, Rockford High School; Taylor Prins, Tri-County High School.

“These kids are our future. It is our responsibility to nurture and support them to grow and make our future better than it is today,” says Judith Amparo, DO, surgeon, Spectrum Health United Hospital.

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Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system, based in West Michigan, offering a full continuum of care through the Spectrum Health Hospital Group, which is comprised of 12 hospitals, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; 180 ambulatory and service sites; 3,600 physicians and advanced practice providers, including 1,500 members of the Spectrum Health Medical Group; and Priority Health, a health plan that served 996,000 members in fiscal year 2017. Spectrum Health is West Michigan’s largest employer, with 26,000 employees. The organization provided $372 million in community benefit during its 2017 fiscal year. Spectrum Health was named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems—and in the top five among the largest health systems—in 2017 by Truven Health Analytics®, part of IBM Watson Health^TM. This is the sixth time the organization has received this recognition.