Promutuel donates $20K to support Pontiac nursing students
Mélissa Gélinas
Local Journalism Initiative
Published February 12, 2025.
SHAWVILLE – To support nursing students in the Pontiac region, on January 30, Promutuel Insurance donated more than $20,000 to the MacLachlan Family Scholarship Program.
The initiative began about a year ago with a significant donation from the MacLachlan family, aimed at creating a scholarship program for bilingual students from the Pontiac.
The foundation provides students with up to $5,000 per year to help cover expenses such as housing, fuel, and other costs. “There are many expenses when studying outside the region,” said Nicole Boucher-Larivière, director of the Pontiac Local Health Services Network. “This is a way to support young families who cannot afford to send their children to school in Gatineau,” she added.
During their studies and summer breaks, students are guaranteed work at the Pontiac Community Hospital or the CLSC in Mansfield. After graduating, they are required to work in the region for the same number of years they received the scholarship.
So far, four students have benefited from this financial aid. “We are working on providing them with summer jobs to support them throughout their studies,” said Boucher-Larivière.
Denis Larivière, president of Promutuel Vallée de l’Outaouais, explained how the donation came about: “During the holidays, I received a request from Nicole Boucher-Larivière explaining the program and I immediately saw it as a great cause. We know how difficult it is to recruit nurses for hospitals.”
Additionally, the MacLachlan Scholarship recently received an anonymous $40,000 donation, on top of the $20,000 from Promutuel. “This will allow us to increase the number of students we can support,” Boucher-Larivière noted. “We are currently reviewing applications and hope to increase the number of recipients to eight by next year.”
An announcement on the next group of scholarship recipients is expected in the coming weeks after applications are evaluated.
“We’re thrilled to see the community supporting innovative initiatives like this, especially in a time of nursing shortages,” Boucher-Larivière concluded. “We look forward to seeing the positive impact of this scholarship in the years ahead.”
Photo – L/R: Nicole Boucher-Larivière, director of the Pontiac Local Health Services Network; Denis Larivière, president of Promutuel Vallée de l’Outaouais; and Allan Dean, president of the Pontiac Community Hospital Foundation, holding the $20,000 cheque for the MacLachlan Family Scholarship Program. (CISSSO)
