SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb., – As one of the region’s greatest resources for health education scholarships, Regional West Foundation dedicated its spring luncheon to the Foundation’s relationship with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and its nursing students. Nearly 300 guests were in attendance at the “Foundation of Health and Wellness” event at the Gering Civic Center Wednesday, March 28.

“UNMC’s nursing program is vitally important to quality health care at Regional West. The Foundation provides nearly $100,000 annually for scholarships to students seeking a career in health care. Many of these scholarship recipients are UNMC students,” said John Massey, chair of the Regional West Foundation board of directors.

Keynote speaker Dr. Juliann Sebastian, Dean and Professor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, expressed her appreciation to area residents for their support of nursing scholarships through Regional West Foundation. 

“When you really think about who benefits from the scholarships provided through the Foundation, it actually goes beyond the nursing students. Scholarships impact the patients and families who rely on highly educated nurses to provide safe, quality care,” she said.

Dr. Sebastian showcased the iWall technology used by nursing students at the Western Nebraska Community College campus to learn and interact in real time with faculty and students at UNMC’s Omaha and other campuses.

“Our partnerships with WNCC and Regional West are vitally important to us for providing nursing students with access to a variety of clinical experiences and excellent classroom learning environments.  We are so pleased that the iWall offers hands-on access to advanced, interactive learning technology that spans our 500-mile campus, and that we can share this with WNCC and Regional West,” she said.

“Nursing is the heart of health care, and the quality of medical facilities and the schools here in western Nebraska make it easier for regional students to achieve their career goals,” said Dr. Sebastian.

The luncheon program included a video presentation by Rebekah Mallory of Mullen, Nebr., who was awarded Regional West Foundation’s $10,000 Legacy Scholarship last year. Mallory is a junior at UNMC College of Nursing in Scottsbluff and serves as the president of the Nebraska State Student Nurses Association.

Regional West Foundation’s Health and Wellness luncheons are sponsored in partnership with personal banking programs for seniors at First National Bank, Platte Valley Bank and Companies, First State Bank, and Western States Bank.

Regional West Health Services in Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company of Regional West Medical Center, a 188-bed regional referral center and one of three Level II Trauma Centers in the state. As the region’s only tertiary referral medical center, Regional West offers care that spans more than 32 medical specialties provided by over 28 physician clinics. With nearly 300 providers, and over 2,000 employees, Regional West provides comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming.