FOUNDATION HELPS LAUNCH HEALTH CAREERS

TUPELO, Miss.—Four area residents have a local family and the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi to thank for helping them start their careers.

Timmy Thompson of Amory became the first recipient of the Dr. P.K. Thomas Jr. Educational Endowment Scholarship. After earning an associate’s degree in nuclear medicine and a bachelor’s degree in health science from the Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, he joined North Mississippi Medical Center’s staff as a nuclear medicine technologist in 1999.

“Receiving this scholarship gave me an opportunity to complete my training. Without the scholarship, it probably wouldn’t have been possible,” Thompson said. “Not only did the scholarship help with out-of-state tuition, but it allowed me to concentrate on studying and grades instead of worrying about dividing my time between work and school.”

Dr. Thomas was a highly respected physician who practiced medicine in Tupelo for 37 years. In exchange for the scholarship, recipients agree to work for the health care system after graduation.

For 40-year-old Edith Minyard of Columbus, the scholarship was a godsend. Minyard had worked for Weyerhauser, a forest products company, for many years and had trained as a First Responder and Emergency Medical Technician. “I got really interested in nursing, but I had a family and I had commitments, and I felt I couldn’t devote the time and money it would take for nursing school,” she said. “But in 1999, Weyerhauser downsized and my position was eliminated. I took it as God’s answer to my prayer to become a nurse. I believe he paved the way for me to finally realize my dream.”

In 2001, Minyard received a $1,200 scholarship from the Foundation to continue her studies at Mississippi University for Women. “It was a great honor to be selected,” she said. “With a family of four living solely on my husband’s income, the financial assistance enabled me to continue in school.” Minyard now works as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at NMMC-West Point.

Another scholarship recipient, Shannon Frasier of Booneville, took a more direct path to the medical field. After earning a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology from Mississippi State University, Frasier was accepted into the occupational therapy program at the University of Mississippi School of Health Related Professions in Jackson. She received a $7,200 scholarship from the Foundation.

“The scholarship was very helpful to me and my parents,” Frasier said. “During occupational therapy school, there’s no way I could have worked and still been dedicated to my studies.”

Frasier, a self-described “people person,” began working at NMMC in 2002. As an occupational therapist with NMMC’s Acute Care Rehabilitation Department, she treats hospital inpatients, many of whom are recovering from a stroke, orthopedic injury or brain injury. “Being an occupational therapist is very rewarding,” she said. “Each patient is different and we face new challenges everyday.”

Tara Whitfield of Columbus is the most recent Dr. P.K. Thomas Jr. Educational Endowment Scholarship recipient. A junior at Mississippi University for Women, she will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing in May 2005. “Nursing is what I’ve always wanted to do,” Whitfield said. “The $5,000 scholarship is helping tremendously.”

The endowed scholarship fund was established by the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi in 1998 to provide scholarships for individuals who aspire to careers in health care. For more information, call (662) 377-3613 or 1-800-THE DESK (1-800-843-3375).

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