St Mary's Announces Awards to Local Nonprofits

Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center has awarded nearly $107,000 to two San Francisco nonprofits-San Francisco Care and Justice Alliance and The Asian Health Collaborative-through its annual Community Grants Program.

"We are honored to acknowledge and support the efforts of these two 'Communities of Care' collaboratives that have pledged to work together alongside St. Mary's to improve the health and wellness of our community," said Barry Lawlor, senior director of community health services and clinics for St. Mary's. "These grant awards will help these organizations continue their inspiring work to improve health outcomes and reduce health disparities among our patients and our neighbors in San Francisco."

San Francisco Care and Justice Alliance is a collaborative project comprised of three community-based organizations-Shanti, The Justice and Diversity Center of the Bar Association, and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel. The Alliance provides medical treatment referral and legal services to underserved populations living with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, or other chronic health conditions. The Alliance helps its clients address urgent issues such as housing security, safety net economic benefits, navigating complex systems, of care and maintaining ongoing relationships with medical providers.

The Asian Health Collaborative (AHC) also consists of three community-based organizations-Self Help for the Elderly, Kimochi, and the Asian Women Resource Center/Gum Moon Women's Residence-working together to improve the health of the communities in which they serve, primarily the monolingual Asian population throughout San Francisco. 

The AHC focuses on addressing unhealthy eating habits in the Asian community that can often lead to diabetes and obesity, particularly among low-income seniors and children. The AHC will use the grant from St. Mary's to expand its partnerships throughout the city's Asian communities, providing additional education workshops and health screening in its fight against diabetes and obesity.

 

About Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center

Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital that has been caring for the people of San Francisco since 1857. Located across from Golden Gate Park, it is the longest continually running hospital in San Francisco. St. Mary's has been named a 2014 Top Performer in Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission for excellence in patient outcomes. For three consecutive years, from 2014 to 2016, St. Mary's received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence from Healthgrades. St. Mary's was also recognized as one of the Top 100 Orthopedic Programs nationally by Becker's Hospital Review and is a Certified Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. St. Mary's state-of-the-art Cancer Center offers the full-range of oncology, radiation, and imaging services. Beyond clinical care, St. Mary's is committed to furthering the healing ministry, and to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to the community we serve.