The Arthur Center is supporting its employees who want to further their education in nursing or behavioral health to address the challenges in rural health care through a scholarship program.

Through its partnership with the Griffin Family Foundation, The Arthur Center awarded six scholarships to its employees Damaris Reams, adult caseworker; Erica Gressman, nurse care manager; Hailey Payne, certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner supervisor; Rozallyn Everhart, residential community support services; Toni Schardan, youth community support services and Derek Deener, associate substance use disorder counselor and certified peer specialist.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a hospital anymore, so we decided we need to do something else that would more directly support the community,” Brendan Webber, of the Griffin Foundation, said. “We’re happy to do it.”

All six recipients in this scholarship cycle have chosen to pursue advanced degrees in behavioral health.

Not everyone needs to be pursuing a master’s degree to be eligible, Kerri Ferrari, director of communications for the Arthur Center, said, but many have chosen to do so.

Everhart will pursue a master’s degree in mental health counseling. Schardan will return to school for a master’s degree in psychology. Payne and Gressman, who recently earned her bachelor’s degree, will both return to school for master’s degrees in social work.

According to the release, recruiting nurses and behavioral health professionals from large hospital systems or urban areas is increasingly difficult. Rural communities often cannot compete with the salaries, scale and resources of big cities.

“Our employees are our greatest resource,” Arthur Center CEO Brock Lough said in the release. “This partnership with the Griffin Foundation reflects a shared belief that the future of rural health care depends on supporting the people who choose to build their careers here. We are incredibly grateful to the Griffin Foundation for believing in our mission and in the importance of strengthening the rural health care workforce from within.”

The hope, Ferrari said, is to give out scholarships every semester.

“In rural healthcare, retention isn’t just a staffing strategy — it’s a community strategy,” she said in the release. “By investing in our employees’ education and professional growth, we are strengthening healthcare access for the long term and ensuring that families in Mexico and surrounding areas can continue to receive care from providers they know and trust.”