Bernstein Scholars

Honoring Rural Healthcare Heroes

Jim Bernstein, FHLI’s founder and first president, dedicated his life and work to improving healthcare in rural communities across North Carolina. An innovator and a motivator, he served as a role model to others in how to address some of the most difficult rural health care challenges.

As a part of Jim’s commitment and effort to improve rural health, he helped to establish a network of 81 community-based clinics and centers across North Carolina. These clinics not only provide rural communities with better access to healthcare, but also offer basic healthcare to all patients, regardless of ability to pay.

Being involved in the creation of these centers, Jim understood the importance of the contributions made to the community by the clinic staff, and in an effort to give back, he began the Jim and Sue Bernstein Health Center Scholarship Program.

Selected annually by the Jim Bernstein Health Leadership Committee, these scholarships help to relieve some of the financial burden on the employees of eligible health centers by helping to pay for both the clinical education of rural clinic staff members, and the college education of a dependent in any area of interest.

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Use the following links to download the 2023 application:

• Greeting Letter
• Guidelines for Health Center Directors Nominating Employees
• Employee Scholarship Application
• Dependent Scholarship Application
• Re-Applicant Scholarship Application