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Emily Riewerts of Kelseyville, California Wins ACAP National Scholarship Essay Contest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2021
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Caroline Rourke, (202) 204-7514, crourke@communityplans.net
EMILY RIEWERTS OF KELSEYVILLE, CALIFORNIA WINS ACAP NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY CONTEST
WASHINGTON— The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) has named Emily Riewerts, a graduating high school senior, as the winner of its eleventh annual National Scholarship Essay Contest.
ACAP established the scholarship in 2011 to provide crucial, timely financial assistance to an enrollee or an enrollee’s family member of an ACAP health plan seeking higher education to pursue a career in health care or social services. Submissions come from throughout the ACAP nationwide network of safety net health plans, which collectively serve more than 20 million enrollees. The award is $5,000 to defray tuition expenses at the awardee’s institution of higher education. The scholarship is sponsored by ACAP Strategic Ally Altruista Health.
In her essays, Emily writes she has been a Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC) member since she was born in 2002 with a full bilateral cleft lip and palate. She had her first surgery at three months old and has since undergone more than ten other surgeries, including a cleft lip and palate repair, two nose augmentations, five sets of ear tubes, and three lip repairs.
Emily writes that she and her family live in a rural area many miles away from the health care specialists her condition requires and that every trip she made to receive care was a “6-hour round trip.” Emily credits her ability to balance her active academic life and numerous medical procedures to the compassionate and diligent support PHC provided to her and her family. She is an honor roll student, an active member of her student body, and a volunteer with the local Rotary Club.
Emily will attend California State University, Sacramento, in the fall. She intends to study psychology and sociology in hopes of pursuing a career in social work, including better understanding the impacts of the social determinants of health on a person’s mental and physical well-being.
“Emily’s determination to meet and move past adversity is inspiring,” said Liz Gibboney, CEO of PHC. “She embodies the passion that the ACAP scholarship celebrates. We’re proud to have helped her get to where she is today and look forward to her future achievements.”
“We are thrilled to honor Emily with this award,” said ACAP CEO Margaret A. Murray. “Her perseverance through hardship and her unfailing commitment to give back to her community despite obstacles in her own life have prepared her to provide compassionate support as she begins a path toward social work. The relationship Emily shares with her PHC team is a product of the hands-on, high-quality health coverage ACAP and Safety Net Health Plans champion.”
About Partnership HealthPlan of California
PHC is a nonprofit, community-based health care organization that administers Medi-Cal benefits through local providers to ensure access to comprehensive, cost-effective care. PHC provides quality health care to more than 600,000 members in 14 Northern California counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity and Yolo.
About ACAP:
ACAP represents 78 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 20 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly-sponsored health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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