$5,000 Healthcare Scholarships Available to Graduating High School Seniors

Graduating Hawaiʻi high school seniors pursuing a career in the healthcare field can apply for a $5,000 scholarship between April 15 – May 15, 2021 through Kaiser Permanente’s Health Equity Scholarship Program.

This program aims to develop healthier communities by helping young leaders achieve their dreams of going to college. Scholarship recipients will be announced Aug. 23, 2021.

Scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university or community college for the 2021 – 2022 academic school year.

Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 weighted scale and demonstrate an interest in pursuing a clinical (physician, pharmacist, practitioner, nurse) or non-clinical (accounting, business administration, finance, human resources, marketing, operations, public policy) career in the health care industry. Preference will be given to students with demonstrated financial need and/or are from underrepresented communities.

“At this time when many Hawaiʻi families are struggling financially, we hope to lessen at least one burden so that students don’t have to give up on their dreams of going to college,” said Greg Christian, Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi president of Health Plan and Hospitals. “Our Health Equity Scholarship Program is part of our mission to care for the communities we serve by encouraging equal access to education and health care.”

A recent study by the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine found that Hawaiʻi’s already-dire physician shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At least 110 physicians elected to retire due to practice disruptions such as temporary or permanent clinic closures, increased telehealth practice, altered operating hours and reduced patient volume.

Although the number of active physicians may rebound when the pandemic is contained, the shortage of 1,000 physicians in Hawaiʻi will be difficult to mitigate. Opportunities that encourage students to pursue careers in health care will help remove barriers that may otherwise discourage students from clinical professions.

To learn more about Kaiser Permanente’s Health Equity Scholarship Program and to apply, visit kp-health-equity-scholars.hsfts.net.