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Community Partnerships

Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts: Community Partnerships

Dominican Hospital has forged many dynamic partnerships with local nonprofits and service organizations to support those who are most in need in our community. We are proud to report that together, we are improving health care delivery and quality of life across Santa Cruz County.

Dientes Community Dental Care: As a part of its annual Community Grants Program, Dominican Hospital donated $40,000 to Dientes to help connect homeless individuals of all ages to a dental home, so that lack of dental care doesn’t stand in the way of finding employment, securing housing, and going to school. Since receiving the grant, Dientes has provided 1,800 dental appointments to 600 homeless patients. To learn more about Dientes Community Dental Care or for information on volunteering opportunities for dental professionals, call (831) 464-5409 (Santa Cruz office) or (831) 621-2560 (Watsonville office), or visit dientes.org.

Digital NEST: Dominican gave $19,000 as a part of its Community Grants Program for the Digital NEST Food Enterprise program, which provides economic security through career training for 50 youth and young adult participants; business development support in web design and videography to at least four local, food-related businesses; job creation and steady income; and the provision of at least 2,250 healthy meals to participating youth and young adults. To learn more about Digital NEST or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 722-6378 or visit digitalnest.org.

Encompass Community Services: Through a longstanding partnership, Dominican regularly refers patients to Encompass for counseling, sober living housing referrals, drug and alcohol programs – outpatient and residential, referrals to the Santa Cruz Aids Project, and more. Encompass also participates with Dominican in the High-Utilizer Group (HUG) collaborative, which unites local service organizations to help some of our community’s more vulnerable populations gain access to care outside of the emergency department. As a part of our Community Grants program, Dominican awarded $30,000 to support Project Bright Star, an Encompass program to prevent and address mental health emergencies among adolescents, reduce stigma, enhance capacity for service coordination, and increase parent capacity and skills to recognize and address needs. To learn more about Encompass Community Services or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 469-1700 or visit encompasscs.org.

Janus of Santa Cruz: In February as a part of its Community Grants program, Dominican donated $40,000 to Janus of Santa Cruz for Project Unite, which will foster a more integrated approach to behavioral health and more efficient use of services through interagency collaboration and care coordination. As a part of the project, Janus counselors visit Dominican regularly to meet with patients who suffer from mild to moderate mental health and IV drug use to provide counseling, a fast track to treatment, and follow up after discharge from the hospital. Dominican also works with Janus to provide treatment, counseling, and methadone assistance for patients who are not part of the Project Unite pilot. To learn more about the Janus of Santa Cruz or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (866) 526-8772 or visit janussc.org.

Mobile Wellness Clinic: Since 2011, the Dominican Hospital Mobile Wellness Clinic has provided uninsured and underinsured residents with episodic care they might otherwise not have access to, including treatment for a range of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, COPD, and congestive heart failure, and screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, and other diseases. Serving more than 2,500 patients a year, the clinic operates five days a week reaching 10 locations across Santa Cruz County – Aptos, Boulder Creek, Davenport, Felton, Pajaro, Scotts Valley, Watsonville, and three locations in Santa Cruz. Recently, clinic staff added an additional day of care in Pajaro to address the acute need, and have been supporting the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency by providing Hepatitis A vaccines to address the current outbreak. To learn more about the Mobile Wellness Clinic or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 713-8751 or visit dignityhealth.org/dominican/mobileclinic.

RotaCare Bay Area: A longstanding partner, the Santa Cruz RotaCare Free Clinic received $16,000 this year through the Dominican Hospital Community Grants program. The funds will help market a program that addresses the health needs of the uninsured, underinsured, and undocumented populations of Santa Cruz County.

Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center: As a part of its annual Community Grants program, Dominican gave $26,000 for the Homeless Services Center (HSC) Recuperative Care Center (RCC) to address homelessness in Santa Cruz County by providing health care services and links to community resources for homeless individuals at the conclusion of a hospitalization or ER visit. A collaboration between the HSC and the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency Homeless Persons’ Health Project (HPHP), the RCC is a 12-bed shelter for individuals who have been discharged from Dominican Hospital, Palo Alto Medical Foundation facilities, Watsonville Community Hospital, or other area medical clinics or hospices. Additionally, along with Encompass Community Services and the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency, the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center (HSC) also participates with Dominican in the High-Utilizer Group (HUG) collaborative to identify populations who use the hospital’s emergency department most frequently and connect them with additional medical resources in the area. HSC provides emergency shelter, and Dominican refers patients who are without a residence to them after discharge from the hospital. To learn more about the Homeless Services Center or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 458-6020 or visit santacruzhsc.org.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County: Each year, Dominican Hospital and its employees participate in the Second Harvest Food Bank Holiday Food & Fund Drive, for which each dollar donated translates to four healthy meals for the less fortunate. The 2016 drive, co-chaired by Dominican Hospital President Nanette Mickiewicz, MD, resulted in 4.51 million meals which, in addition to food donations and fundraising throughout the year, will help Second Harvest serve nearly 55,000 Santa Cruz County residents each month. To learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 722-7110 or visit thefoodbank.org.

United Way of Santa Cruz County: Dominican Hospital staff looks forward to supporting longtime partner United Way of Santa Cruz County each year through the Employee Giving Campaign. Together, our staff, physicians, and volunteers raise thousands of dollars annually to support programs for youth success, family financial stability, and good health for nearly 75,000 local residents. To learn more about United Way of Santa Cruz County or for information on volunteering opportunities, call (831) 479-5466 or visit unitedwaysc.org.

Since the early 1990s, community organizations have received nearly $2.5 million in grants from Dominican Hospital to promote the health and wellness of Santa Cruz County. A list of our most recent grantees is available here.