MountainStar Healthcare awards $25,000 grant to support healthcare career pathways
Draper, Utah — MountainStar Healthcare, part of HCA Healthcare, announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Canyons Education Foundation to support its Area Health Education Center, or AHEC, Medical Scholars program.
The grant is part of the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund established with an initial investment of $75 million to address high-priority community needs.
The funding has helped Canyons Education Foundation launch and deliver the AHEC program to 25 students during the spring 2026 semester. Offered in partnership with Weber State University, the program gives students the opportunity to earn four college credits while studying health information literacy, healthcare systems and career exploration. Grant funding also supported instruction, hands-on learning materials and professional equipment, including scrubs, blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes.
A key component of the program gives students direct exposure to healthcare careers and professional clinical environments. Through a partnership with Lone Peak Hospital and HCA Healthcare’s Center for Clinical Advancement in Draper, the 25 students participated in training inside the same simulation environment used by practicing healthcare professionals.
Students worked through clinical scenarios modeled after real cases, gaining firsthand experience with the types of situations nurses and medical teams encounter during professional certification and training. The experience helps students better understand healthcare careers while developing the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to pursue future opportunities in the field.
“One of the most meaningful ways we show up is by investing in our communities, and that includes investing in the future of healthcare and the professionals who will lead it,” said Melinda Patterson, Chief Nursing Officer of Lone Peak Hospital. “By welcoming students into our clinical learning environments and giving them hands-on exposure to healthcare careers, we can help spark their interest, build their confidence and show them that there is a place for them in this profession.”
“The Medical Scholars program is an absolute win-win-win for our students and our medical profession partners,” said Reid Newey, Director of the Canyons Innovation Center. “Our students gain post-secondary exposure to a broad range of careers and opportunities in the medical field and have the unique chance to gain intimate access to our local hospitals and medical professionals, all while earning university credit in the health sciences. Our medical professionals have the opportunity to get to know, educate and influence their future workforce during our medical facility visits. We are so grateful to HCA Healthcare for its generous contribution and support of this fantastic program.”
The Healthier Tomorrow Fund is one of the many ways HCA Healthcare works to make a positive impact in the communities it serves. In 2024, HCA Healthcare provided charity care, uninsured discounts and other uncompensated care at an estimated cost of $4.4 billion. HCA Healthcare also contributed more than $48.5 million to community organizations in 2024.