Educate Health Caregivers

HealthCare Horizons
GOAL: $225,000 in additional funding for educational assistance

The Foundation’s HealthCare Horizons program supports the education and career development of nurses and other health care professionals...the people who make a difference in the lives of patients and families every day. That initiative is critical as the nation faces a near-term shortage and long-term crisis in the health care workforce. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, by 2020, the United States will need 2.8 million nurses—1 million short of the projected supply—representing a 36 percent vacancy rate. Today, nurse vacancy rates stand at 10 percent.

To address this need, generous donors have established HealthCare Horizons endowment funds with the Foundation’, a financial assistance program that provides educational funding to students interested in pursuing careers in nursing and other professions where there is a shortage. In addition to helping bright students secure a college degree in a high-demand medical field, upon graduation they begin their careers with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, completing the circle of care.

Our goal over the next three years is to double the number of HealthCare Horizons educational awards given annually—increasing from 36 to 52. A gift commitment of $10,000 or greater can create a new named fund, an excellent way to permanently honor someone special while touching the lives of countless patients and families in a lasting and meaningful way.

Dr. Ethel Larosa-Klemens Pediatric Rehab Lectureship & Scholarship
GOAL: $125,000

In 2006, Frazier Rehab Institute lost one of its brightest stars: Dr. Ethel Larosa-Klemens, a physiatrist and champion of innovative pediatric rehabilitation. At the age of just 37, Dr. Larosa died after a battle with cancer—but not before many of her ideas were put into place at the magnificent, newly renovated Frazier Rehab Institute. In the expanded hospital, there is now a dedicated unit for the rehabilitation of children called the Kosair Pediatric Pavilion. It bears the indelible imprint of Dr. Larosa who championed family involvement and, above all, fun as an essential ingredient in the care and treatment of kids.

Dr. Larosa had a special interest in managing the spasticity of patients with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury and stroke. She held many leadership positions in the community of medicine, and was herself a lifelong student of medicine who taught patients, families, residents and students as part of her work in rehabilitation every day. 

To honor her memory and perpetuate her commitment to innovation in rehabilitation for children, the Foundation is working in concert with Dr. Larosa-Klemens’ family to create a permanent endowment to fund an annual Pediatric Rehab Lectureship targeted to residents and practicing physicians; and an educational scholarship to be given to a female student pursuing a career in rehab or a related field. This effort will not only honor Dr. Larosa’s memory, but continue the focus on rehab medicine to which she dedicated her life.

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