Dominican Hospital Awards Nearly $190,000 in Grants to Six Local Nonprofits

Grants include $40,000 for a teen-driven program to provide meals to individuals and families in crisis due to life-threatening illness

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (Jan. 22, 2020) – Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has awarded nearly $190,000 in grants to six local nonprofit organizations through its annual Community Grants Program. Each nonprofit was recognized for its commitment to providing innovative resources and support to improve quality of life for the Santa Cruz County residents most in need.

“Our guiding mission with the Community Grants Program is to ensure we support the most underserved among us, and it couldn’t be done without collaboration,” said Dominican Hospital President Nanette Mickiewicz, MD. “We are continually inspired by the ability of these organizations to coordinate and leverage their individual competencies to lift up the neediest in our community.”

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• Community Bridges: $25,000 for the Wellness Navigation Project, which will increase patient access to healthy food, nutrition education, and other services, and will improve clients’ understanding of how to stay healthy. The Wellness Navigation Project will offer mobile health screenings, a lifestyle health class, care transition referrals, and food pantry distribution.
• Dientes Community Dental Care: $35,000 in support of a collaboration between Dientes, Homeless Persons Health Project, and Housing Matters (formerly Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center) to provide comprehensive dental care (including treatment and prevention), oral health education, dental screenings, and referrals to care. The goal is to establish a dental home for those experiencing homelessness, so that patients receive regular preventative care and avoid dental emergencies.
• Monarch Services: $39,645 in support of case management services specifically for survivors of human trafficking. Case managers will work to provide a continuum of care for trafficking survivors by addressing survivors’ needs through a collaborative model. Case managers will work with identified partners to address the specific needs of each trafficking survivor.
• RotaCare Bay Area – Santa Cruz Free Clinic: $25,000 for the all-volunteer Santa Cruz RotaCare Free Clinic, which provides free health care to vulnerable and underserved populations. Every Tuesday night, RotaCare volunteers transform the dining and meeting rooms of a Live Oak area school facility into an acute care medical clinic.
• Teen Kitchen Project: $40,000 to provide 50,000 healthy meals to 1,000 individuals and families who are in crisis due to a life-threatening illness—particularly those who are low income, lack a support network of family or friends, or do not qualify for other free food service. Teen Kitchen Project’s meal delivery service is unique, in that the program engages teens (ages 13–18) as both volunteers and employees in preparing and packaging meals.
• United Way of Santa Cruz County: $25,000 in support of a collaboration between United Way of Santa Cruz County, Community Bridges, and Pajaro Valley Prevention and Student Assistance to provide wrap-around support services for youth and families to promote health and wellness, college and career readiness, financial stability, and community connection. The goal is to increase access to youth and family mental health services, workforce development, and academic support.

Dominican’s community grants were awarded at a luncheon event today, Jan. 22. Since the early 1990s, Dominican Hospital has provided nearly $2.7 million in grants to local community organizations dedicated to improving health and wellness in Santa Cruz County.

About Dominican Hospital

Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has been caring for the Santa Cruz County community for generations. Dominican offers emergency services and is a Certified Stroke Center. Dominican’s services include the only comprehensive Cancer Center in Santa Cruz County, a Total Joint Replacement program, advanced neurological and endoscopic services, and an expert heart and vascular team treating some of the most complex cardiac cases in the Monterey Bay area. Dominican Hospital offers a comprehensive, Baby-Friendly designated Birth Center, and provides an on-site Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) through a partnership with Stanford Children’s Health. Dominican has received national recognition for superior patient safety, cardiac care, and stroke treatment from Healthgrades, a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. Dominican also has received several awards for environmental excellence. Dominican Hospital is planning a $360 million renovation and expansion to ensure that the growing Santa Cruz County community can access world class health care well into the future. The project will allow for advanced technology, new state-of-the-art facilities, and even more innovative healing spaces. To learn more about Dominican Hospital, please visit dignityhealth.org/dominican.

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