Dobson, NC – May 28, 2025. – Seventeen area students have completed pre-apprenticeships at Hugh Chatham Health and are accepting apprenticeships or part-time positions to continue their education in the healthcare field through the Surry-Yadkin Works program.
Thirteen of the preapprentices, 11 of whom are area high school students and two who are adult students at Surry Community College, will be working full-time and part-time at Hugh Chatham Health while continuing their education. Four of the pre-apprentices will be working part-time while they pursue their education at a four-year university or two-year college. Accepting apprenticeships at Hugh Chatham Health are Ashley Arellano, Haydne Bryant, Abigail Burton, Alyssa Davis, Jocelyn Espino-Solorzano, Destiny Gurley, Stephanie Hall, Wendy Hernandez, Wyatt Johnson, Angela Luffman, Kristen Sparks, Jenna Tolbert and Milena Waddell. Completing apprenticeships and continuing as full-time employees are Zeuz Santiago and Dorothy “Emma” Woods.
Paul Hammes, CEO of Hugh Chatham Health, said, “There are few greater investments we can make than in our students and aspiring healthcare professionals. They are the future of our workforce, our economy, and a stronger community overall. We are extremely proud to partner with Surry-Yadkin Works – a national model that will make a difference for generations to come.”
Four Surry-Yadkin Works pre-apprentices working at HCH signed as PRN at the event and will be working on a part-time basis. “PRN” stands for the Latin phrase “Pro re nata,” meaning “as
needed,” and “occasionally.” They are Katie Cothren, Arismel Medores, Julie Torres-Salazar and Presley Swaim.
Crystal Folger-Hawks, Executive Director at Surry-Yadkin Works, stated, “We are incredibly proud of our students who have completed their pre-apprenticeship experience at Hugh Chatham Health, and even more excited for those who are now committing to continue as apprentices. This partnership reflects our shared commitment, ours to equip students with essential employability skills, and Hugh Chatham Health’s dedication to training the next generation of skilled, compassionate nurses. Together, we’re building a strong foundation for both workforce readiness and community healthcare.”
This special opportunity is a part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship program and the state’s ApprenticeshipNC program through the N.C. Community College System Office that combines a paid work-based learning experience with classroom academics leading to a national certification. These students will earn free tuition for the Associate Degree in Nursing program at a North Carolina community college to become registered nurses.
For more information about apprenticeships at Hugh Chatham Health, contact the Hugh Chatham Health Human Resources department at (336) 527-7664 or email humanresources@hughchatham.org.
Surry-Yadkin Works is the first community-based internship program of its kind in North Carolina, officially beginning on January 1, 2021, covering a two-county region. Surry-Yadkin Works is the collaborative effort of four public school systems in Surry and Yadkin counties including Elkin City Schools, Mount Airy City Schools, Surry County Schools, and Yadkin County Schools, as well as Surry Community College, to create an innovative and unique approach to a regional internship program. The funding is also a joint effort with commitments from the Surry County Commissioners and the Yadkin County Commissioners. For more information about the Surry-Yadkin Works program, contact Crystal Folger-Hawks, Surry-Yadkin Works Program Director, at (336) 401-7820 or folger-hawksc@surry.edu or visit www.surryyadkinworks.org.
About Hugh Chatham Health (www.hughchatham.org) is an independent, not-for-profit community health care network of physician clinics and an 81-bed acute care hospital that delivers high quality, convenient healthcare to residents of the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina and southwestern Virginia. Employing more than 900 team members, Hugh Chatham Health includes a medical group with more than 70 providers across 24 locations and six counties. Headquartered in Elkin, North Carolina, Hugh Chatham has been nationally recognized for patient satisfaction, patient safety, and clinical quality.
