Contact: George Cagala                                                                   Southern California Region
760 750-4012                                                                                     Contact:  Socorro Serrano       
gcagala@csusm.edu                                                                        (626) 405-5534
                                                                          

KAISER PERMANENTE PROVIDES $500,000 SCHOLARSHIP AND
LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM TO CSU SAN MARCOS STUDENTS
Nursing Graduates Get Financial and Career Boost from Kaiser Permanente

SAN MARCOS, CA. April 29, 2008 – At a time when California’s nursing shortage is at a crisis level, and state universities are increasing costs, Kaiser Permanente has stepped forward with a helping hand, announcing today that California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) will receive $500,000 to establish the CSUSM-Kaiser Permanente Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Program. 

As one of the largest employers of nurses in California, Kaiser Permanente’s support to build California’s nursing workforce exceeds $4 million annually for Nursing Pathways, career ladder programs, nursing scholarships, grants to colleges, and forgivable loans. 

"We are thrilled to be able to add CSUSM, to our successful loan forgiveness program," said Judy Husted, RN, MS, CNAA-BC, executive director of patient care services for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California region. “We began this program with graduates in spring of 2006 and by this summer we will have provided financial assistance to over one hundred (100) baccalaureate-prepared nursing graduates who are now providing bedside care to patients at several of our Southern California Kaiser Permanente hospitals.” Added Husted, “We look forward to adding CSUSM nursing graduates to our Kaiser Permanente family.” 

CSUSM nursing students will be eligible to apply for $5000 per semester, up to a total of $20,000.  The loan forgiveness program will mean that students who graduate and go on to work in an acute care Kaiser Permanente hospital facility will not have to pay back their loans. 

 “We are very grateful that Kaiser Permanente has selected California State University San Marcos as the first CSU to benefit from this unique program,” said Judith Papenhausen, director of the CSUSM School of Nursing. “It will ease the financial burden of some of our students and help address the critical shortage of nurses throughout San Diego, Riverside and Los Angeles counties.” 

CSUSM’s School of Nursing was launched in fall 2006 with 44 students.  Today, the school has 164 students including the newly launched accelerated entry level baccalaureate program. 

Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Region includes more than 49,919 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,000 physicians representing all specialties.  More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at www.kaiserpermanente.org.

For more information on the CSUSM-Kaiser Permanente Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness Program, contact Judy Papenhausen, jpapenha.csusm.edu.
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