Anna Jaques Hospital Awards Scholarships to Seven Employees To Support Their Nursing Education

Advancing Nursing Careers at Anna Jaques Hospital

Newburyport, MA – Anna Jaques Hospital recently awarded scholarships to assist seven employees in furthering their education in nursing during its annual Lois Anderson, RN, Scholarship Event.

The scholarship event is named in memory of Anderson, a longtime nurse and director of nursing in the Emergency Department whose career at Anna Jaques Hospital spanned more than 40 years (1967-2008). Anderson passed away in 2016.

“It is rewarding to see so many on our staff from many departments work to further their education, and these scholarships are a wonderful way to help them reach their goals,” said Jeffrey L. Brickman, interim president of Anna Jaques Hospital. “We are thankful to the families who established these scholarship funds, which continue to benefit both our staff and our community hospital.”

The recipients of $1,000 scholarships from the Oliver J. and Edith H. Audet Scholarship Fund were:

• Shaelin Lombard, of Newburyport, a food service aide and certified nursing assistant who will attend Colby-Sawyer College in Maine to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Lombard has wanted to be a nurse since she was 11 years old. “From my dad having a stroke when he was 35 years old to my mom being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at 40 years old, I have seen the positive impact that nurses make on patients, as well as families,” Lombard says.

• Amy Southall, of Georgetown, a food service aide who has worked at Anna Jaques since she was 15 years old. Southall’s experience at the hospital has led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. “Seeing firsthand every day what is required by our medical staff and the impact that they have in the community has only inspired me to want to join the field even more,” Southall says.

• Nathan Williamson, of Amesbury, a psychiatric counselor in the Adult Psychiatric Services Department, who will pursue an accelerated Bachelor of Nursing at Salem State University. “Providing quality care and stabilization for a person in crisis, at their most vulnerable, is a reward that transcends the paycheck and stays with you long after a patient is discharged,” Williamson says.

The recipients of $1,000 scholarships from the Robert Coffyn Clark Scholarship Fund were:

• Jordan Perez, of Haverhill, a registered nurse on the cardiac unit who is enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing to Master of Nursing program at Endicott College in Beverly. “As nurses, it is essential that we listen to our patients to help promote positive patient outcomes, along with making the patient feel comfortable and heard,” Perez says.

• Anastasia Papouli, of Haverhill, a medical assistant at Women’s Health Care who is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science to master’s degree program in sexual and reproductive medicine at the University of South Wales. Papouli says she chose the program because it “covers both psychological and physical factors of infertility.” She hopes to use her education to promote sexual health and advancement in reproductive methods, especially in the primary care setting.

A $1,000 scholarship from the Lower Merrimack Valley Physician Hospital Organization was presented to:

• Alexandra Tecun, of Beverly, a patient care assistant in the cardiac unit who is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Master in Nursing program with a concentration in nursing education at Endicott College. Tecun’s goal is to be an instructor for student nurses, “instilling confidence and knowledge in future generations of nurses.”

A $1,000 scholarship from the Anna Jaques Hospital Medical Staff was presented to:

• Melissa Paskowski, of Byfield, a registered nurse in the cardiac unit who is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Master in Nursing program with a concentration in psychiatric mental health nursing at Regis College in Weston. Paskowski’s goal is to work in addiction recovery helping individuals struggling with addiction and their families. “I want to be part of the solution in solving the mental health care provider shortage in our country,” Paskowski says.

The Oliver J. and Edith Audet Scholarship Fund was provided by Col. Harold H. Audet, MD, in 1992 in memory of his parents. Col. Audet was an employee of Phillip Morris Company. He believed strongly in the power of higher education and its capacity to transform and that better educated employees deliver better patient care.

The Robert Coffyn Clark Fund for Scholarships was bequeathed by Clark, a longtime Newburyport resident who worked for Chase & Lunt Insurance for many years, serving as vice president. Clark, who passed away in 1980, left proceeds from his estate to Anna Jaques Hospital for the creation of the scholarship fund.

About Anna Jaques Hospital

Anna Jaques Hospital is a 83-bed not-for-profit community hospital serving the Merrimack Valley, North Shore and Southern New Hampshire. With 1,200 employees and more than 200 physicians on staff, Anna Jaques is recognized for delivering high quality community health care with an emphasis on patient satisfaction.

Anna Jaques Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians, and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through ground-breaking research and education.