scholarshipamerica.org

St. Elizabeth Health Foundation directs its work toward health care needs in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois, with a sustained emphasis on building the local health workforce through education support. Its signature effort is the St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Scholarship Program, which assists qualified students from that region who are enrolled in recognized health care occupation programs at accredited institutions. The program serves a broad student population that includes high school seniors, high school graduates, current undergraduate and graduate students, and returning students, and it supports study at community or technical colleges, four-year universities, and graduate schools. Award amounts listed for the program range from $2,000 to $15,000. The foundation’s roots trace to the Sisters of Divine Providence, who purchased St. Elizabeth Hospital in Granite City, Illinois, in 1921 and remained the institution’s sole sponsor until January 1, 2002. As clinical services expanded, the hospital became St. Elizabeth Medical Center. In the mid-1990s, the Sisters formed St. Elizabeth Health Foundation so that income could support care of the needy and promote health care. After the 2001 sale of the medical center to CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc., the facility continued as Gateway Regional Medical Center, and in August 2002 the Sisters withdrew as sponsor of the foundation, which then came under a board of community leaders. The foundation later joined the Ladies Auxiliary of Gateway Regional Medical Center as a supporting organization. In November 2012, after recognizing the success of its financial portfolio, the board determined that the It Starts Here Foundation, a 501(c)(3) subsidiary of the Southwestern Madison County Chamber of Commerce, would provide a common goal benefiting residents of Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois. Since 2013, more than $600,000 in medical scholarships have been awarded to students from those two counties. One of the scholarships honors former Congressman Jerry Costello, and the foundation welcomes tax-deductible donations to expand medical scholarship support.