CNA closet provides free scrubs to students

BATESVILLE — For some students, the cost of uniform scrubs on top of tuition, fees and textbooks presents a financial challenge. The University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville has initiated a program to help alleviate that challenge for students in the certified nursing assistant program.

Marietta Candler, division chair for the nursing and allied health department, said the CNA closet began this semester.

“We saw that there was a need to provide scrubs for those students who couldn’t afford to purchase them. The closet will be available for students in April. We have about 50 students who could potentially all benefit from the closet. We’ve already had several say they will use scrubs provided through the closet,” Candler said.

Candler said a current student, Taylor Gregory, discussed the need for scrubs with her mother, Luanne Gregory, a financial adviser with Thrivent Financial. Thrivent is a not-for-profit financial-service organization. Luanne recalled that Candler’s husband was a client with Thrivent and, as such, receives two $250 actionteam projects each year.

“Clients can use their action-team projects to benefit the community, charities or their church,” Luanne Gregory said. “Both of my children are students at UACCB and have gone through the pre-nursing program. When we went to purchase scrubs, I was shocked at how expensive new scrubs can be. I proposed the idea, and Mr. Candler chose to use funds for one of his action-team projects to help support this program.”

The Uniform Shop provided discounts on scrubs purchased for the closet, as well as donated scrubs and a pair of shoes. Candler said students have also gotten involved in the project and have donated used scrubs to the closet. She said she wants to start an initiative to collect donated stethoscopes for students as well.

“I’m excited because we’ve had such a positive response. It makes me feel good because this is all for our students,” she said.

For more information or to donate scrubs to the CNA closet, call Candler at (870) 612-2070.

SUBMITTED From left, Taylor Gregory, Luanne Gregory and Marietta Candler stand near a collection of scrubs and shoes in the certified-nursingassistant closet at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville. The closet provides scrubs free of charge...