• Home
  • About
    • History & Mission
    • 2025 Board of Directors
    • Contact
    • Join Us
    • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Testimonials
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • More
    • Home
    • About
      • History & Mission
      • 2025 Board of Directors
      • Contact
      • Join Us
      • Blog
    • Newsletter
    • Events
    • Testimonials
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
  • Sign In

  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • My Account
  • Sign out

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • About
    • History & Mission
    • 2025 Board of Directors
    • Contact
    • Join Us
    • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Testimonials
  • Volunteer
  • Donate

Account


  • My Account
  • Sign out


  • Sign In
  • My Account

Scholarships are sponsored by DIHEA

Thank you to our scholarship sponsors!

DE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE EDUCATION ADVANCEMENT (DIHEA)

Our Mission

Founded and supported by clinicians in Delaware, DIHEA recognizes the need to support the well-being of students in the healthcare workforce pipeline. Our mission is to encourage Delawareans to pursue education in healthcare. 

Thank you to our donors, we are celebrating our 4th year of providing scholarships to health care students.

Application is now closed

Not lifechanging ... but $150 is an encouragement!

"Having a bit of extra money that can be used to get coffee with a friend and catch up may not directly contribute to a student’s academic record, but I feel the psychological and emotional benefits are usually under-recognized. "  - Abigail Alvarez, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CNOR 

Support us

What can $150 buy for students in healthcare?

Self Care

Coffee

$5.25

 $150 can buy a Monday morning coffee every week for a semester.  

Movie binge-watching

$25.00

 $150 can buy 6 months of Netflix.

Lunch

$5.00

 $150 can buy a $5 lunch at the cafeteria every day for a month.


Get to Clinical Site

Gas

$3.25/gallon

 $150 can buy gas for daily commute for a month 

Uniform

$75/set

 $150 can buy 2 sets of scrubs 

Supplies

TBA

 $150 can buy some accessories to make life easier

More about DIHEA and the scholarships

Nothing Like a Good Pandemic Story

The Delaware Institute for Healthcare Education Advancement (DIHEA) is 501 (c) (3) non-profit started by 2 colleagues while taking a break in a nursing lounge right before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 


Bet Key Wong (co-founder of Nurses & Neighbors) and Steve Tooze (Steve) were checking on each other's goals for the new year.  That was before they knew a pandemic was coming.  Steve, a native Delawarean, wanted to provide scholarships for residents of Delaware.  Knowing that healthcare students needed money for expenses not usually covered by typical scholarships, Steve envisioned scholarships that would cover extra expenses such as gas money to clinical sites, fees for testing and background checks, clinical supplies, or uniforms.  Bet returned to Delaware after being away for decades and found a rapidly growing aging population in a place that lacked healthcare workers. She wanted to encourage more people to join the caring workforce.


Then the pandemic hit. Steve provided care for patients hospitalized with COVID and Bet joined the Delaware Medical Reserves Corps to help with COVID testing and vaccination.


Despite the pandemic, the two nurses continued to work (at least 6 feet apart) on their goal to start an organization to advance healthcare education in Delaware. In 2020, Steve and Bet formed the Delaware Institute for Healthcare Education Advancement Inc (DIHEA). In 2021, DIHEA was recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. 


DIHEA's mission is to advance healthcare education in Delaware by providing scholarships to help fund non-tuition related education expenses (including money for self-care like a cup of coffee before clinical).


Abigail (Abi) Alvarez and Deborah Yutzy were elected to the DIHEA Board in 2021. Both Abi and Deborah are nurses with deep ties to Delaware communities. They bring to the DIHEA Board critical care and community care nursing experiences. By the end of 2021, First State Orthopaedics provided DIHEA support to launch the scholarships.


The first round of scholarships started in 2022. All DIHEA scholars were pursuing a degree or certificate in healthcare. Each winner received $100 to spend anyway they would like. Preference was given to Delawareans.   Of all the scholars, 70% were residents of Delaware with participation from all three Delaware counties. Their aspirations included nursing, dentistry, medicine, physical therapy, and physician assistant.    


In 2023, Barb Bradbury, MSN, CRNA, APRN joined the DIHEA board. Barb is a native Delawarean, an advanced practice nurse, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), and a mentor/preceptor to many CRNA students. 


DIHEA received funding from the Delaware Association of Nurse Anesthetists to provide scholarships for the 2nd round of scholarships in 2023.  100% of scholarship recipients were from Delaware. 


DIHEA launched the 3rd round of scholarships in 2024 with support from First State Orthopaedics. Each scholar received $150 to spend it anyway they want.


In 2025, Kristin Brimmer, MSN, RN, CNOR and Forrest Culver, RN joined the DIHEA board. We increased our scholarship amount from $100 to $150 for 11 scholars to spend it anyway they want.  


Thank you for your continuous support.


Contact us at scholarships@dihea.org.

Blogs by previous scholars

contact us scholarships@dihea.org

Copyright © 2025 Nurses & Neighbors Collaborative Inc. - All Rights Reserved. 

Mailing address:  #1212 179 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Non profit Tax ID: 88-3479456


  • Home
  • Scholarships
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Testimonials
  • Education
  • Homelessness
  • Health & Mobility
  • Donate

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept