Essentia Health Creates “Education-To-Employment” Scholarships And Opportunities For Rock Ridge Students

VIRGINIA, Minn. — Essentia Health is teaming up with Rock Ridge Public Schools in Virginia to create what they call “education-to-employment student scholarships.”

Essentia is setting aside $300,000 for scholarships for students who pursue education after high school for certain career opportunities in healthcare.

Those jobs range from respiratory therapists to radiology, surgical, and medical lab technicians, and more.

The program aims to entice more bright students to the healthcare field, while bolstering the number of eventual healthcare employees at more rural clinics and hospitals.

“It’s also a lot of involvement in the curriculum, internships, teacher externships, all that sort of thing and as well as a sponsorship,” Sam Stone, an administrator with Essentia, explained. “Just like every industry healthcare has labor challenges, and this collaboration is one of those ways to help solve that challenge and retain the best and brightest.”

Essentia donated another $100,000 to the school district to have the naming rights to the high school’s health sciences wing.