04/02/2026
🌟 Celebrating Excellence, Opportunity, and the Future of Healthcare in Willcox 🌟
Seven years ago, Lila Tenniswood saw a need—and an opportunity. With passion, persistence, and a deep belief in her students, she started the Willcox High School HOSA Chapter (HOSA–Future Health Professionals), opening doors for young people in our community who dream of careers in healthcare. Today, the results are nothing short of extraordinary. 🩺🎓
This year alone, 14 Willcox High School students have qualified for the HOSA State Leadership Conference, competing in the highly demanding Patient Care Technician (PCT) event. These students earned their place by scoring high enough on a statewide written exam- but only 4 can go since the state has enacted a cap on that. The students themselves decided who should go—and now they’ll advance to hands-on, real-world skills testing, performing procedures such as EKGs, blood glucose testing, patient care documentation, IV discontinuation, urinary catheter care, and more. These are not simulations for fun—these are real skills used every day in hospitals and clinics. 💪🧠
Some competitions will even take place in professional nursing labs, and the top three students in Arizona will qualify to advance to the HOSA International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, where they’ll compete against students from across the U.S. and other countries—truly putting Willcox on the global stage. 🌍🏆
What makes this even more special is that HOSA is not just an after-school club. It is a career and technical student organization built directly into the classroom curriculum, recognized by the Arizona Department of Education. Every student in Lila’s Patient Care Technician and Introduction to Medical Professions classes is automatically part of HOSA—meaning learning, leadership, and competition are woven together every single day. 📚➡️🏥
💙 Northern Cochise Community Hospital is proud to stand behind this program.
To help students attend State Finals—and potentially internationals—NCCH once again awarded a $2,000 check to the Willcox HOSA Chapter. Travel, lodging, and meals for multi-day competitions can be costly, and this support removes barriers so students can focus on doing their best. The moment the students opened the check was unforgettable—pure joy, excitement, and validation that their hard work matters. 🎉💵
Even better? The impact of this program is already coming full circle.
At least 10 former HOSA students now work at Northern Cochise Community Hospital (plus a few at Sulphur Spring Medical Center), in roles such as:
🩺 ER Technicians
🩻 Lab professionals
🏥 Med-Surg team members
👩⚕️ A newly graduated RN—our very first nurse to come straight from Lila’s program
Others are working in local clinics or actively completing prerequisites for nursing and healthcare degrees. This is what “growing our own” looks like—investing locally, mentoring early, and watching students return as confident, capable healthcare professionals serving their own community. 🌱💙
For Lila—who has been part of NCCH for more than 12 years—this isn’t just a job. It’s a mission. Seeing her students grow, succeed, and come back to care for others is what makes her proudest. And for NCCH, there is no greater reward than knowing we are helping shape the future healthcare workforce right here at home.
👏 We are incredibly proud of the Willcox HOSA students, of Lila Tenniswood’s leadership, and of the powerful partnership between education and healthcare in our community.
The future of healthcare is bright—and it’s being built right here in Willcox. 🌟🩺💙
