94-07-08 U.Va. Nursing School Committed to Accessible Health Care

                                       RELEASE ON RECEIPT

 EDITOR'S NOTE:  CALL SUSAN KENNEL AT (804) 924-0068 TO ARRANGE
                                INTERVIEWS.

    U.VA. NURSING SCHOOL COMMITTED TO ACCESSIBLE HEALTH CARE
                   PROGRAMS FOR ALL VIRGINIANS

     CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., July 9 -- Rural teens are seeing the
possibilities of a career in health care thanks to a grant to the
University of Virginia School of Nursing.
     The Staunton-based Northwest Virginia Area Health Education
Center (AHEC) has awarded $11,072 to the school to support 10 of
the 21 participants in the program.  A $10,000 gift from U.Va.
Hospital Auxiliary, Inc., also supports the institute.  AHEC
programs link resources of university health sciences centers with
the health care and educational needs of rural communities as part
of a long-term strategy for meeting health manpower needs.
     Developed in 1990 to encourage minority and underrespresented
rural high school students to aspire to health care careers,
U.Va.'s Jefferson Area Summer Health Institute offers a learning
and work opportunity in a variety of health care fields.  Two
institute graduates have been offered admission to U.Va.'s School
of Nursing.
     "The program combines a mix of traditional classroom
instruction and practical hands-on experience in various hospital
departments and clinical settings," says institute director Susan
E. Kennel, RN.  Additionally, students travel to health care
facilities to observe other
health care providers, adds Kennel.
          Sponsored by the School of Nursing and the Division of
Nursing, Martha Jefferson Hospital, the Monticello Area Community
Action Agency and Piedmont Virginia Community College, the 4-week
residential program continues through July 23.
     Participants are from Charlottesville and Albemarle, Augusta,
Bath, Highland, Louisa and Orange counties.  Selections were based
on GPAs, essays, letters of recommendation, academic qualifications
and personal interviews.
     At the conclusion of the institute, the students will receive
a $500 stipend for their work.
                               ###

                                              July 8, 1994
Charlotte A. Buttner, Program Support Technician, Health Sciences
Center News Services McKim Hall Room 3116, #429, Charlottesville,
Va.  22908, 804-924-5679,  cab2j@virginia.edu,
CompuServe 72203,1033.


[Submitted by:  (cab2j@dmt03.mcc.virginia.edu)
               08 Jul 94 13:52:21 EDT]