HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, today announced that it will gift $620,000 to the University of California, Riverside (UCR) to support five scholarships for students enrolled in the UCR School of Medicine. This gift is part of the Company’s larger commitment to give $10 million over three years to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). HCA Healthcare has now announced approximately $7.42 million to multiple colleges and universities towards that commitment.
“We are proud to support the University of California, Riverside through these new grants to help provide more students with access to a medical school education,” said Tim McManus, president of HCA Healthcare’s National group. “We’ve seen firsthand how our partnerships with local colleges and universities strengthen both the community and our hospitals.”
As a part of this partnership, HCA Healthcare will give $350,000 to fund two Dean’s Mission Scholarship – Merit Program scholarships and $270,000 to fund three Dean’s Mission Award – Service Program scholarships. The Dean’s Mission Scholarship – Merit Program is a four-year award offered to strong, mission-fit applicants enrolled in the UCR School of Medicine to cover the complete cost of tuition. The Dean’s Mission Award – Service Program is a two-year award to cover all required university fees not covered by other need-based financial aid sources. It is awarded to medical students entering into their third year of medical school who commit to 30 months of qualified service within San Bernardino, Riverside or Imperial County in certain disciplines. HCA Healthcare, through its local facility Riverside Community Hospital, will also provide job shadowing opportunities, mentors for Mission Award recipients and seminar and leadership session opportunities.
“It is an honor to be able to invest in the next generation of medicine,” said Sherri Neal, chief diversity officer of HCA Healthcare. “We believe that creating opportunities for future physicians to learn and serve in their communities creates a stronger, inclusive health system and a higher quality of care for our patients.”
UCR’s School of Medicine has been affiliated with Riverside Community Hospital since 2015. Each academic year, Riverside Community Hospital hosts UCR medical students for more than 400 clinical rotations in the core areas of medicine, surgery, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology, psychiatry, neurology and emergency medicine required to complete their medical degree.
In addition, Riverside Community Hospital is one of the largest teaching hospitals in HCA Healthcare with 230 residents and fellows currently enrolled in the hospital’s Graduate Medical Education program. Nationally, HCA Healthcare is the largest sponsor of Graduate Medical Education in the United States, with 72 teaching hospitals in 16 states.
“We’re incredibly grateful to HCA Healthcare for their support towards our Mission Award Scholarships program,” said Dr. Daniel Teraguchi, executive associate dean for student affairs at the UCR School of Medicine, who occupies the Salma Haider Endowed Chair for the Thomas Haider Program. “Their generous gift will remove a financial barrier for aspiring students to become physician leaders with a goal to create a healthier and more accessible healthcare system for the Inland Southern California community.”
HCA Healthcare has a history of partnering with higher education institutions to help create opportunities for the next generation of healthcare leaders. In 2022, HCA Healthcare gave $1.55 million to Tennessee State University (TSU) to create scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate school students pursuing careers in healthcare and computer science and $1.5 million to Fisk University to support scholarships for students pursuing healthcare careers and a dual degree with Galen College of Nursing. The Company also gave $750,000 to The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) to create multiple graduate-degree opportunities for students interested in healthcare administration careers. $1.5 million was given to Florida International University’s (FIU) Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences (NWCNHS) to expand its faculty, offer scholarships to increase enrollment and help address the national nursing shortage. In 2021, HCA Healthcare announced a $1.5 million investment in Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) School of Allied Health Sciences to strengthen students’ pathways from undergraduate to graduate to management careers in the healthcare industry. These partnerships and others with industry- and school-based associations are part of HCA Healthcare’s continued efforts to strengthen the diversity of the organization’s talent pipeline.