FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Kal Mistry, Chief Administrative Officer/Senior Vice President
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 305.350.5990
Megan Carella, APR, Public Relations Editor
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 352.560.3415
Dallas, TX, January 25, 2010 —As recipients of $1,500 scholarships from VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Dallas, two local nursing students are finding their college experience to be less financially stressful.
Stacie McGraw, of Lancaster, TX and Stephanie Lewis, of Richardson, TX, were presented with the scholarships at the ninth annual Scholarship Awards Brunch of the Metroplex Black Nurses Association-Dallas, Inc., the Dallas-based chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). McGraw is a vocational nursing student at Platt College in Dallas; her goal is to become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) specializing in women’s health. Lewis is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at Baylor University in Dallas; her goal is to become a psychiatric ARNP.
“The Metroplex Black Nurses Association greatly appreciates VITAS for its ongoing support of nursing education,” said Brenda Ross, MSN, RN, COHN-S, Metroplex Black Nurses Association president. “The NBNA believes that quality healthcare is best delivered when ethnically diverse nurses are represented in nursing education programs and in the nursing profession. Our partnership with VITAS helps us to advance this goal.”
Since 2003, VITAS has developed a strong partnership with NBNA as the nurses’ association expands its awareness and utilization of hospice in traditionally underserved communities. Along with nursing scholarships, VITAS offers workshops on end-of-life care at local NBNA chapters and at the NBNA’s annual national conference.
“NBNA and their local chapters connect with the community by working closely with local organizations and building trusting relationships with them,” says Patrick Bullocks, VITAS community liaison, who presented the scholarships. “We’re here to support their efforts.”
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® (www.vitas.com) is one of the nation’s oldest and largest providers of end-of-life care. A pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, VITAS has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in the Dallas area since 1984.
L to R: Patrick Bullocks, VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® Community Liaison; Rhonda Rubin, NBNA Board Member; Stephanie Lewis, Scholarship Recipient; Stacie McGraw, Scholarship Recipient; Brenda Ross, Metroplex Black Nurses Association President; and Keynote Speaker Elester E. Stewart, III, Vice President of Cardiopulmonary Medicine, Baylor Medical Center, Dallas.