Health training scholarships awarded

The Health Foundation and TD Bank gave out $13,290 in scholarships and education grants to help area caregivers upgrade their skills.

This is the 17th year for the program, which awards nurses and other caregivers pursue post-secondary education, participate in courses and attend workshops. The awards are given out twice a year, in spring and fall.

At a press conference June 1, Diane Rusnak, chair of the Health Foundation board and Les Arnelian, TD Yorkton branch manager handed out a total of 18 cheques.

“TD Bank has been very proud to be part of these education awards for the past 17 years,” Arnelian said. “We feel it’s important to give back to the communities in which we do business and we feel there is no better way to give back than to improve the education of those people that are providing the health care to our residents in the city of Yorkton and surrounding area.”

Ross Fisher, Health Foundation executive director, said the criteria for reviewing applications is consideration of what will help patient care the most in the region.

“We try to give funds to people who are taking hard to recruit courses or courses for positions that are hard for us to fill and we have tremendous response from the staff.”
Over the course of the program, the two organizations have invested $363,776 in staff continuing education.

TD scholarship recipients for this round were: Christine Bermejo, B.Sc. in Nursing; Shannon Dudley, B.Sc. in Nursing; Serenah Rutzki, B.Sc. in Nursing; and Kaylee Zimmer, B.Sc. in Nursing.

Health Foundation scholarships were given to: Loretta Erhardt, B.Sc. in Nursing; Shelly Faye, Novice IPAC course; Chelsea Fiege, Lactation Consultant Training Program; Candice Nelson, Social Work Practicum II course; Melissa Protsko, Bachelor of Social Work; Moira Stoll, Role of the Practioner in Indigenous Wellness; and Tera Walsh, Post-RN Bachelor of Nursing.

The Health Foundation also gave grants to: Melissa Cursons, TMR Tots course; Kristen Dereniwsky, for Foot care for Seniors; Kendra Gibb, Standing Together for Children’s Health; Arlette Howard, Foot Care for Seniors; Lisa Sarauer, Preserving the Active Hip; Michelle Shore, Foot Care for Seniors; and Linda Spracklin-Cross, Supporting Oral Feeding Skills in Fragile Infants.

Together TD and the Health Foundation are also financing a Kinesio Taping workshop for physical therapists around the region.

The next round of applications will come in the fall with a deadline of November 15 for use on educational opportunities from January to June 2018.