The Health Plan Opens Scholarship Program for West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Students

photo by: Voice meter

James Nemitz, president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (left), and Jeff Knight, president and CEO of The Health Plan, announce the inclusion of WVSOM in The Health Plan’s scholarship program.

The Health Plan and the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine announced Friday that the school has been accepted into the Health Plan Scholarship Program.

Since its inception in 2009, the scholarship program has provided more than $43 million in scholarships to more than 50 medical and nursing students to work in the state of West Virginia.

“We started this program about 15 years ago. We saw a shortage of primary care physicians in the area and wanted to figure out a way to help. This was a great opportunity for us to provide some education and funding to students who are less fortunate,” said Jeff Knight, president and CEO of The Health Plan.

The Health Plan is a not-for-profit health care organization founded in 1979. The Health Plan’s mission is to manage and improve the health and well-being of its members.

“So as a nonprofit, this is one of our ways to give back and give to those less fortunate,” he added. “The healthcare workforce shortage continues to be a major issue in West Virginia. The Health Plan is committed to supporting our state’s healthcare workers and we are excited to partner with the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine to offer our scholarship program to its students.”

James Nemitz, president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, said the program will benefit his students.

“We have an agreement to have my osteopathic medical students participate in the scholarship plan. If they get this scholarship, their tuition is covered — it’s a huge savings for my students,” Nemitz said.

With this new partnership, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine students were able to apply in the final months of the 2024-25 scholarship cycle and will be eligible for the entire 2025-26 term. The scholarship pays a student’s tuition and fees at the school’s in-state rate and is renewable for up to four years. Although the application process recently opened, Nemitz said 11 students have already applied for the scholarship program.

“What this grant program does is for every year that they receive the grant, they work in the area where The Health Plan exists,” Nemitz added. “It definitely keeps people in West Virginia and the region, and that’s what we want to do: keep our physicians here in the state.”

He said he was excited about the program and believes his students are just as excited about it.

Don Smith, director of communications for The Health Plan, noted that the program partners with several colleges and universities in the Mountain State.

“The Health Plan is a leader in this space with this program that partners with Marshall, WVU and now the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine,” Smith said.

Today’s latest news and more in your inbox