St. Joseph's Awards $227 K in Community Grants

STOCKTON, February 9, 2018 - St. Joseph's Medical Center has awarded over $227,000 in grant funding to three local community benefit organizations that provide critical health and human services to residents in San Joaquin County. 

"Caring for our community, especially those most in need, is truly at the heart of our mission at St. Joseph's" said Sister Abby Newton, OP, Vice President of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care. "We are proud to be collaborating with these outstanding organizations to improve the health and well-being of our community."

St. Joseph's awarded grants to the following three organizations, in partnership with other local agencies:

• Recuperative Care Program: Gospel Center Rescue Mission, in partnership with Community Medical Centers /Gleason House Clinic, Hospice of San Joaquin, & Quail Lake Baptist Church was awarded $100,000 for the Recuperative Care Program. This program targets men and woman who are ready to be discharged from a community hospital, but have no home to go to and no trusted family member or friend to care for them during their post-hospital stage of recovery. Once the patient transitions from the hospital to the recuperative care program, they will be provided the same level of post-hospital recovery care through the program that a close family member or friend might provide in their home.
  
  
• Behavioral Health Navigator (Peer counselor): Community Medical Centers, in partnership with San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services and Sacramento Self Help Housing was awarded $27,749 to provide a Behavioral Health Navigator (Peer Counselor) with behavioral health expertise to help establish a link between the patient, their family and their care team.  They will provide support and encouragement to patients struggling with substance abuse and/or mental illness, and will make referrals and connect patients to ongoing support services. 
  
  
• Respite House: Sacramento Self Help Housing, in partnership with Catholic Charites of Stockton, & Community Medical Centers was awarded $100,000 to support Respite House, a program designed to assist Hospital and Behavioral Health Center patients who are otherwise ready for discharge but are homeless or have no safe housing to be discharged to. Once the patient is connected with Respite House he or she will have a safe place of respite shelter at a residential home with case management for 30 days after being discharged, placing patients back into a safe environment, and decreasing the likelihood of the need to return back to the Hospital/Behavioral Health Center. 

The Community Grants Program was established in 1990 to provide funding to community-based organizations that provide services to individuals in need. Since its inception, the program has distributed nearly $3.2 million in grant funding to deserving nonprofit community benefit organizations with an interest in building healthier communities by improving health and living conditions. St. Joseph Medical Center annually sets aside revenues from operations to fund the community grant awards. 

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About St. Joseph's Medical Center

St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 347 beds, a physician staff of over 600, and more than 2,300 employees. St. Joseph's specializes in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services including neonatal intensive care. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY 2016, St. Joseph's provided over $57 million in charity care, community services, and unreimbursed patient care. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, a system of ancillary care sites, medical foundations, and acute care hospitals serving California, Arizona and Nevada.