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SPOKANE – This year marks the 10th anniversary of Project H.O.P.E. (Health Occupations Preparation Experience), an annual summer internship program for high school students coordinated by Washington’s two Area Health Education Centers in partnership with the Washington State Office of Community and Rural Health.
“If the program were forced to close, we’d lose a lot of momentum around trying to feed the shortage of health care workers in rural areas,” she said. “It would be very sad.” – Bonnie Wagner, WSU Spokane
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I“We’ve had several students that were actually hired within their host facilities afterwards,” said Bonnie Wagner, who coordinates the program for the Area Health Education Center of Eastern Washington (AHEC) at Washington State University Spokane. Many students have enrolled in health sciences programs following their Project H.O.P.E. experience. One student turned out to be such a good match with her host facility that they decided to pay for her nursing education, in addition to hiring her, she said.