Space Coast Health Foundation Grant Helps EFSC Health Programs


April 8, 2019

The Space Coast Health Foundation has provided a $15,000 grant to the Eastern Florida State College Health Sciences Institute for new equipment to help students studying in a variety of healthcare fields.

The foundation’s Pickett Responsive Grant is given to enhance or improve the health or wellness of Brevard County residents. It is named in honor of the foundation’s first board chair, Fran Pickett, who played a significant role in its creation.

EFSC surgical lab with a surgeon and three surgical assitants
Students simulate a surgical procedure in a lab setting at the Health Sciences Institute on Eastern Florida State College's Melbourne campus.

The funds will maintain, upgrade and purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the institute, which is located on the college’s Melbourne campus and contains 10 highly specialized labs ranging from nursing to surgery and radiology.

“With the ever-changing advancement in the healthcare field, the need to maintain and update equipment is ongoing and expensive. This grant will provide the funding to keep students on the cutting edge of health care,” said Johnette Gindling, president and CEO of the Space Coast Health Foundation.

Jennie Kriete, executive director of the EFSC Foundation that provides student scholarships, called the grant “an extremely generous contribution to the education of our students, for which we are very grateful.”

She said the Health Sciences Institute, which opened in 2017, is playing a leading role in “training a new generation of healthcare professionals along the Space Coast and in Central Florida, which makes the gift even more important.”

The college offers about 25 healthcare programs with Bachelor Degrees, Associate Degrees and College Certificates available. Classes are taught on campus and online, with many courses and some degrees available completely online.

To learn more about EFSC’s healthcare programs, visit easternflorida.edu/go/healthnursing.

To learn more about the EFSC Foundation and to donate, visit easternflorida.edu/foundation.

The Space Coast Health Foundation was established using the proceeds from the sale of Wuesthoff Health System with a mission to work on collaborative projects that meet local healthcare needs. Learn more at schfbrevard.org