Three Siskiyou County Organizations Receive Community Grants

Through this program, Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta and Dignity Health seek to partner with other non-profit organizations that are working to improve the health status and quality of life of the communities we serve.

“It is important to support others whose mission and vision is in concert with ours,” said Kenneth E.S. Platou, President. “These organizations are aligned with our core values and they provide a tremendous service to our county. By collaborating with area agencies we are able to support new and innovative programs focused on identified community health issues.”

For the first time, the community grant award recipients have developed a collaborative project bringing together each of their areas of expertise to focus on an identified health concern. The project titled Youth Health Initiative Partnership addresses and prevents childhood obesity by providing access to quality healthcare, nutritious food and exercise in the outdoors.

In a brief ceremony held at Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta’s most recent Community Advisory Council meeting, the following non-profit organizations were awarded grant

funding for their portion of the project by Kenneth E.S. Platou, President and Michael Rodriguez Advisory Council Chairperson.

McCloud Healthcare Clinic $10,000.00 “Prevention of Childhood Obesity “

• This program component will target childhood obesity through outreach and health educational activities in the southern Siskiyou county schools.

Great Northern Corporation $10,000 “Children’s Holiday Lunch Program”

• By working with schools to provide snack bags to students who depend on the Free and Reduced Price Meal program, this project is aimed at our disadvantaged community members by providing healthy food choices during school holidays.

Mt. Shasta Nordic Ski Organization $5,000.00 “Enjoy the Great Outdoors”

• Physical activity in the outdoors has been identified as a key factor in preventing childhood obesity related diseases. With this project, the Mt. Shasta Nordic Youth Program focuses on connecting local school children to nature through cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities at the Mt. Shasta Nordic Center.

“Our community grants program awards funding in direct response to specific health priorities identified in the Dignity Health Community Health Needs Assessment which was completed in 2014,” said Sister Elaine Stahl, Mercy’s grant program lead. “Collaborative projects with other organizations were a priority aspect of the criteria used for making our selections. We received grant proposals from many worthwhile programs, and our grant review committee spent hours reviewing these requests,” said Stahl.

“We are honored to support the efforts of these organizations. Through their good works, we further our mission to provide quality healthcare programs to the communities we serve.”

About Mercy Medical Center Mt. Shasta