American Specialty Health Awards Scholarships to Dietetics Students

SAN DIEGO (October 25, 2006) - American Specialty Health (ASH), the nation’s leading specialty benefits company for complementary health care and wellness programs, recently announced the recipients of its 2006 scholarships for students pursuing careers in dietetics. The awards are two of several given out this year to students of various complementary health care disciplines in an annual scholarship competition administered by ASH subsidiary American Specialty Health Plans of California, Inc. (ASH Plans).

The scholarship winners are Farrah Tierney, a student at the Pomona campus of California State Polytechnic University, and Patricia Prince-Griffin, a student at the University of Memphis. Tierney and Prince-Griffin will each receive $2,000, which will be applied toward further studies in dietetics.

Criteria for the ASH Plans dietetics scholarships included grade point average, financial need, and participation in various professional activities. Applicants were also required to complete an essay on their studies in dietetics and complementary health care.

“The ASH Scholarship Program was developed to recognize academic excellence and reward students who have a unique foresight into the U.S. health care system,” said George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of ASH. “We congratulate Ms. Tierney and Ms. Prince-Griffin on advancing the study of complementary health care, and we are pleased to recognize these fine students as ASH’s dietetics scholarship recipients for 2006.”

Since 2001, students pursuing careers in various aspects of complementary health care have been eligible to apply for scholarships totaling $45,000 annually through the ASH Scholarship Program. Qualifying students are those studying acupuncture, chiropractic, dietetics, massage therapy, or naturopathy at accredited institutions across the country.

The deadline for the 2007 ASH dietetics scholarships is Sept. 5 of next year. To learn more about the program and future scholarship deadlines, please visit ASHCompanies.com/Providers.

ASH and its subsidiaries comprise the nation’s leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care benefits and affinity discount, health education, and wellness programs. ASH Plans is California’s first and largest specialized health plan for acupuncture and chiropractic, providing benefit programs to full-service health plans and employer groups.

Based in San Diego, ASH has over 500 employees and covers more than 12 million members in benefit programs and more than 80 million members in affinity discount programs. For more information, visit ASH online at ASHCompanies.com or call 800.848.3555.