From left, Cox CEO Bob Bezanson, OTC President Hal Higdon and St. John's CEO Jon Swope sign an agreement to create a new allied health scholarship program.
Cox, St. John's donate $500K for OTC health program
SBJ Staff
Posted online
CoxHealth and St. John's Health System are donating a combined $500,000 to Ozarks Technical Community College to create a scholarship program for the dependents of health system employees.
The OTC Foundation, the school's fundraising arm, announced the gift Thursday morning along with Cox President and CEO Bob Bezanson and St. John's President and CEO Jon Swope. The money will allow OTC to offer scholarships to dependents and spouses of Cox and St. John's employees who are enrolled in OTC Allied Health programs.
Each of the health systems is committed to donating $50,000 a year for the next five years to fund the program, with the first scholarship funds to be awarded this fall. OTC is now accepting applications from interested students in any of the school's nine health programs, which include practical nursing, occupational therapy assistant training, respiratory therapy, emergency medical technician training and dental hygiene.
“This unprecedented level of collaboration is very exciting, as this gift will benefit not only our students, but the healthcare industry in our area, and, therefore, every citizen of our community,” OTC President Hal Higdon said in a news release.[[In-content Ad]]