WSU gifted $1M from Intermountain to attract students, future health workers
Photo supplied, Weber State University
Intermountain Healthcare donated cardiac ultrasound equipment to the School of Radiologic Sciences at Weber State University on May 3, 2022. Pictured are Stephanie Nay, center, and Windi Jones, right, of the Intermountain Heart Institute along with, from left, radiology faculty Ambree Penrod, Tanya Nolan and Robert Walker.Intermountain Healthcare is donating more than $1 million to Weber State University to help combat the shortage of health care workers and increase the number of students accepted into its programs.
The funding will help support WSU’s new physician assistant program, which will launch next year pending approval from the 2022 Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. If approved, the university will train 20 students per session in 2023 and 40 students per session in 2024.
“Weber State University has been a stalwart for education, improving the community and helping to provide the next generation of health care providers,” said Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital administrator, Judy Williamson. “We are proud to assist them in their work.”
Part of the funding will also go toward the Diversity in Healthcare scholarship program and the Office of Community Development Ogden Civic Action Network (OgdenCAN).
“Weber State truly benefits from having such a strong partnership with Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital,” said Yasmen Simonian, dean of the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions at WSU. “They’ve helped us secure the best equipment and space, which allows us to provide hands-on education to our students so they’re confident and ready to join the health care workforce when they graduate.”
Simonian said Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital has also provided expert representatives to serve on advisory boards in each area of the college to assist with future health care needs.
OgdenCAN is a program designed to help advance community development work in Ogden’s East-Central neighborhood. Intermountain’s contributions are part of an effort to improve community health by addressing the social determinants of nonmedical overall community health factors such as reliable transportation, food security, housing and education.
“Living our healthiest lives possible requires more than access to high-quality health care. We’ve found that supporting early childhood health through professional training education can have a very positive impact in community health,” said Sue Robel, chief nursing officer and regional president at Intermountain. “We are thrilled to play a part in improving the health of our communities by supporting today’s students and tomorrow’s health care professionals.”
To learn more about the Intermountain Diversity in Healthcare scholarship at Weber State, go to WSU’s Scholarship website at https://www.weber.edu/financialaid/.