Pictured from left are David Ferris, CHMC Chief Nursing Officer; Dr. Joseph C. Hoffman, Acting President, SUNY Canton; Mark Webster, CHMC President and CEO; Cindy Clusen, Executive Director, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Foundation; Linda Fay, member of the CHMC and Claxton-Hepburn Health System boards and Co-Chair of Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Foundation’s upcoming campaign; and David Gerlach, Vice President of Advancement, SUNY Canton.

OGDENSBURG – The SUNY Canton Foundation recently offered a $25,000 to support Claxton-Hepburn’s next capital campaign.

The scholarship will assist Claxton-Hepburn employees seeking a SUNY Canton nursing or Bachelor of Science in nursing degree.

This scholarship was established to encourage CHMC employees to continue their education and pursue higher levels of training in order to provide the highest level of care to the community.

Each fall for five years, five Claxton-Hepburn employees will be selected through an application process for a $1,000 scholarship to help them with tuition and other applicable educational expenses while pursuing a two- or four-year nursing degree.

David Ferris, Chief Nursing Officer at Claxton-Hepburn, who received his nursing degree at SUNY Canton in 1984 and teaches in the program today said the hospital is fortunate to have SUNY Canton’s nursing programs in available to the community.

“This scholarship program is a wonderful opportunity for our staff and we are excited to work with SUNY Canton,” he said.

Since 1902 when the A. Barton Hepburn Nursing School was founded, and later through work with SUNY Canton, Claxton-Hepburn has been committed throughout its history to high-quality local nursing education. Claxton-Hepburn provides clinical experiences for SUNY Canton nursing students, and later employs many of them.

The medical center also has a tuition reimbursement program for employees who return to seek higher degrees while employed. Claxton-Hepburn’s long connection with the SUNY Canton Nursing program also includes the service of Linda Fay, Professor Emeriti of Nursing at SUNY Canton (1972-2005), who is on the Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center and the Claxton-Hepburn Health System boards.