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It’s no secret that the future of healthcare is in the hands of college students ready to step up to become the next generation of healthcare providers. Understanding the importance education plays in creating a proficient health workforce, South Texas Health System praises South Texas College (STC) with helping educate hundreds of thousands of the Rio Grande Valley’s future healthcare workers since its founding in 1993.

Getting students across the stage to claim their diplomas and degrees can be challenging. While the costs associated with attending college can put a serious financial strain on families, STC aims to make higher education accessible to all students across the Rio Grande Valley.

“Everything we do is so our students walk across that stage in a cap and gown, debt-free,” says Rodney Rodriguez, STC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs, South Texas College, who credits community partnerships for making the college’s mission attainable.

To help build a strong healthcare workforce, South Texas Health System proudly supported STC’s mission of making college accessible to every student in the Rio Grande Valley. Aside from serving as the title sponsor for this year’s STC Foundation Gala, STHS presented a check for $37,000 to the college’s non-profit arm to help support new initiatives including new allied health curricula and the Adult Promise program, a free college initiative that target adults who have some college but haven't earned a degree.

“South Texas Health System is proud to contribute to South Texas College’s mission,” says Kennetha Foster, MSN, RN, System Chief Nursing Officer, South Texas Health System. “As a hospital system, we employ hundreds of South Texas College nursing program graduates because the college does an amazing job at producing highly trained and highly skilled graduates who instantly become valuable members of the healthcare workforce across the Rio Grande Valley.”

In the last two years, South Texas Health System has contributed $89,000 to South Texas College through its foundation to help Rio Grande Valley nursing and allied health students achieve their educational goals and develop the skills needed to succeed in the local workforce.

“We depend on the STC Foundation to help support our future nurses and allied health professionals toward their graduation and employment goals,” adds Foster. “We’ve seen firsthand the quality of the college’s graduates, and we’re committed to supporting our local students in their high education endeavors. We want to continue the longstanding partnership with STC to help ensure access to higher education for all students.”

In addition to supporting the STC Foundation, South Texas Health System is a corporate sponsor of the Valley Initiative for Development and Advancement (VIDA), helps low-income, unemployed and underemployed residents of the Rio Grande Valley get the education they need to secure their career. STHS conducts monthly presentations and facility tours for the VIDA students enrolled in the nursing and allied health programs at South Texas College.