Palm Health Foundation Opens Scholarship Application for Nursing and Mental/Behavioral Health Professions

October 28, 2021

Foundation dedicated to growing health workforce in Palm Beach County as state shortages loom.

West Palm Beach, Fla.– Palm Health Foundation, Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health, will open applications for nursing and mental/behavioral health scholarships on November 1, 2021. The scholarships are administered by the George Snow Scholarship Fund and encourage individuals with financial need to enter and advance in the nursing and mental/behavioral health professions. Applicants must be residents of Palm Beach, Broward or Martin County, Florida, and apply by the February 1, 2022 deadline. The application, eligibility criteria and instructions are available on the George Snow Scholarship Fund website at www.scholarship.org.


Palm Health Foundation’s scholarships come at a time when the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida is predicting a catastrophic nursing shortage in the state by 2035 and data from Kaiser Family Foundation shows the current supply of Florida’s working mental health professionals meets only 16.9% of the state’s need.


“There is a perfect storm brewing across Florida as our nursing and behavioral health workforce shrinks while our population and behavioral health needs increase,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “The pandemic has only added to the crisis with nurses leaving the field and both children and adults experiencing increased levels of stress and anxiety but unable to find professional care.”

One of the nursing workforce solutions cited by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida is to increase the number of nurse faculty opportunities. Palm Health Foundation’s scholarships address a range of shortages, including faculty, by providing needs-based scholarships to nurses in undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs.


Behavioral health professions scholarships address a range of needs as well by providing financial support to those seeking bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, psychology, clinical mental health counseling, school counseling and other focus areas. The foundation’s investment in the behavioral health workforce is aligned with the goals of its Brain Health Innovation Fund to advance brain health in Palm Beach County.


“Our community of donors has recognized the importance of advancing our health professions workforce in Palm Beach County by joining with us to support dedicated students with the desire to serve,” said McNamara. “We are grateful for their support and encourage others to advance health for all by contributing to our Nursing Advancement Fund or creating their own personal donor advised fund in support of nursing, behavioral health, or any health-related cause to benefit Palm Beach County. 


Palm Health Foundation has granted more than $3 million in nursing scholarships to over 1,000 nursing students for advanced education since its founding in 2001 due to the generosity of donors and the foundation’s commitment to nursing advancement in Palm Beach County. For more information about Palm Health Foundation scholarships, please contact Leslie Cornwell at lcornwell@scholarship.org, 561-347-6799, or Channon Ellwood at cellwood@scholarship.org, 561-347-6799 at the George Snow Scholarship Fund.


About Palm Health Foundation 
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $85 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.



###

 

January 29, 2025
What if I become ill? What if my loved one does? How will we manage?
January 29, 2025
Let’s Move Encourages at least 30 Minutes of Activity Daily for Physical, Mental, and Emotional Health
January 29, 2025
Healthier Glades , a Palm Health Foundation Healthier Together initiative, proudly marked six years of empowering the Glades community through its Mini Grant Program with the recent announcement of four grant awards to recipients in Belle Glade and Canal Point, Florida. Through the Mini Grant Program, Healthier Glades invests in promising programs to promote health, wellness, and youth engagement. The initiative has awarded over $140,000 in mini grants to 52 residents and organizations fostering lasting community impact since 2019. The four innovative grants exemplify Healthier Glades’ ability to unlock community strengths by elevating and investing in the ideas that the community believes hold the most promise to change lives and the narrative around mental health. “The programs highlight the creativity, passion, and dedication of Glades’ community members,” said Annie Ifill, Director, Healthier Glades. Mini grant recipients began program implementation on January 1, 2025. Mini Grant Recipients
January 3, 2025
Mark Twain wrote, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” I realized many years ago that the lessons I learn may be for me alone in the moment, but they are not mine to hoard—they are to be shared with others.
December 20, 2024
Hospital conversion foundations are unique and powerful forces in advancing community health. These charitable organizations are born when non-profit hospitals are sold and converted to for-profit entities. A foundation is then established from the proceeds of the sale or “conversion.”
December 2, 2024
Giving Tuesday is About Giving Chances to Someone Like Me.
November 22, 2024
Palm Health Foundation ’s Scholarship Reception on November 2, 2024, brought together nursing and behavioral health scholars with their donors for an inspiring evening at the stunning Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens (ANSG) in West Palm Beach, FL. Over 190 guests attended the event to celebrate 92 scholarship recipients, the largest group of scholars in the history of the foundation due to a generous gift from Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network (SEFBHN). Frances Fisher generously underwrote the reception at ANSG where she serves as chairwoman. ANSG’s natural gardens and monumental sculptures served as the perfect setting for scholars and their donors to meet each other, all expressing gratitude. Guests and donors thanked the scholars for their dedication to the healthcare workforce of South Florida, and scholars thanked donors for their generosity that enabled them to continue their education. “The scholarship recipients here tonight are not only the future of South Florida’s healthcare system, but also the heart and soul of our community,” said Fisher. “I am inspired by their dedication, and I am grateful to our donors who are helping to shape a brighter, healthier future for all.” The $530,000 awarded in needs-based scholarship funds will help address significant shortages in the nursing and behavioral health care workforce. Donor funding will also help humanize health by advancing the careers of healthcare professionals with lived experience and cultural competencies to serve South Florida’s diverse population, a need echoed by Abigail Goodwin, executive vice president of Palm Health Foundation, in her address to scholars. “Your ability to bridge languages and cultures is critical to providing quality care for our dynamic South Florida communities, making our entire region healthier and stronger,” Goodwin said. “You are here today because you’ve demonstrated dedication, perseverance, and a true desire to serve your neighbors. Palm Health Foundation is proud to support, honor, and uplift you as you continue your journey.” Goodwin closed the event by announcing another gratitude opportunity to donors. From December 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025, Palm Health Foundation is matching every donation to The Nursing Advancement Fund and all nursing scholarship funds—dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000. Palm Health Foundation nursing scholarships support students with financial need in LPN, undergraduate, graduate, and doctorate programs in Palm Beach County. “Through our charitable funds and with the collaboration of donors, residents, and partners, we are building a culture of health for all in our community,” said Dr. Marsha Fishbane, chair of the Palm Health Foundation Board of Trustees. Notable attendees at the event included: Frances Fisher, PHF Trustee and scholarship fund holder; Dr. Marsha Fishbane, Palm Health Foundation chair, and trustees Dr. Naelys Luna, Barbara James, Clovis Moodie, and Nathan Nason; scholarship fund holders Debra Coffman Howe, Ann Berner, Dr. Alina Alonso, Denise Bober, and Carrie Browne and Donald Smith-Browne; and Tim Snow, president of George Snow Scholarship Fund.  To make a gift or create a donor advised fund to support health professions scholars, please contact Carrie Browne, director of stewardship and strategic partnerships, (561) 837-2281, carrieb@phfpbc.org .
November 22, 2024
Palm Health Foundation marked its eighth annual Train the Brain community health campaign during October 2024 with the unveiling of a significant collaborative initiative. On October 24, 2024, over 95 guests gathered at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University for the launch of The Brain Coast: A Vision for South Florida , an aspiration endorsed by six Palm Beach County brain health and science visionaries who believe that shared vision, determination, science, education, collaboration, and investment can transform a region and change the world. The launch partners included: Palm Health Foundation Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute at Florida Atlantic University Stiles-Nicholson Foundation The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Technology Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network Many more have committed to advancing this exciting vision with imagination, curiosity, and desire to push the boundaries of brain science and its promise. Guests at the event were eager to learn about the vision for The Brain Coast, which partners compare to President John F. Kennedy's ambitious goals for American space exploration that accelerated Florida's Space Coast. Evening highlights included ambitious initiatives demonstrating The Brain Coast Vision’s promise and the inspirational journeys that led local scientists, including Palm Health Foundation Computational Brain Science and Health Graduate Fellows, to dedicate their lives to advancing treatment for brain disorders as varied as depression, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and more. 
October 7, 2024
Leaders believe shared vision, determination, science, education, collaboration, and investment can transform the South Florida region and change the world.
October 7, 2024
Palm Beach County leaders will guide foundation’s grantmaking initiatives to help residents thrive and reach their full health potential. 
More Posts
Share by: