Dignity Health Gives $846,014 in Grants to Help Thousands in Need

Dignity Health, which operates the Mercy, Methodist, Woodland and Sierra Nevada affiliate hospitals in the greater Sacramento region, has awarded $846,014 in grant funding to 28 nonprofit organizations in Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Yolo and Nevada counties.

The grants, from $5,000 to $50,000 will build capacity in the community to offer much needed services ranging from primary care to mental illness to managing terminal illness, dental care and various social support programs to underserved and vulnerable populations. This year’s recipient organizations reach out to local ethnic communities and provide services to multiple generations from infants to the elderly.

“The Dignity Health Community Grants Program is committed to establishing meaningful collaborative programs among nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the health of people living in our community,” said Sister Bridget McCarthy, vice president, mission integration, Greater Sacramento – San Joaquin service area. “These grants are an opportunity for our hospitals and community nonprofit organizations to work together to strengthen safety net capacity, leverage resources and build a greater continuum of care for those we serve.”

The Dignity Health Community Grants Program is open to all nonprofit community service organizations that share Dignity Health’s mission and values and are dedicated to building healthier communities by improving health and living disparities. The program supports organizations that increase access to care for the poor and address the underlying causes of illness – such as physical and substance abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness – as well as specific health issues. Grants are funded by contributions from Dignity Health’s member hospitals. In the Greater Sacramento region, Dignity Health hospitals that contribute to the grants program are Mercy General Hospital, Methodist Hospital, Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Mercy Hospital of Folsom, Woodland Healthcare and Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital.

Grant funding is awarded according to specific criteria and restricted to the specific programs proposed. To foster collaboration this year, Dignity Health’s hospitals in the Sacramento region asked nonprofit organizations to submit partnership proposals that provide a  continuum of care for specific target populations.

Grant awards went to the following organizations:

1. El Hogar Community Services, Inc., Elica Health Centers and Asian Community Center will focus on providing needed services and care to underinsured and uninsured individuals with behavioral health challenges in hospital emergency departments by providing mental health, substance abuse, transportation, navigation and support services, and primary health care.
2. Pacific Trauma Specialist of Folsom and Partners in Care of El Dorado County will provide a broad spectrum of additional support for those patients discharged from the hospital but still having to manage the complexities of their terminal illness at home.
3. Health and Life Organization, Inc., Hmong Women’s Heritage Association, Capitol Health Network, Southeast Asian Assitance Center and La Familia Counseling Center will work together to improve culturally specific health access for underserved Hmong, Mien, Vietnamese and Latino populations.
4. Health for All, Volunteers in Victim Assistance, Health and Life Organization, Inc., United lu-Mien Community, Inc. and Crime Victim Assistance Foundation (iCAN) will in partnership provide victims of violence and their families with medical, dental, mental and social services that can help them cope with the devastating after effects of trauma, with a focus on prevention and education.
5. Sierra Foothills AIDS Foundation and Cares Community Health aims to increase access to dental care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Sacramento, El Dorado and Placer counties.
6. Loaves & Fishes/Genesis Mental Health, Downtown Sacramento Foundation, Community Link and Transitional Living and Community Support, Inc. will link Sacramento’s disabled and long-term homeless to medical and behavioral health services, creating a homeless health care access portal for the chronic homeless.

Grant awards were also made to the following organizations and partnerships in Yolo County:

1. Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services in Yolo County and Yolo Community Care Continuum will work together to identify individuals calling a 24-hour crisis phone line who are in need of immediate stabilization, residential care and other support services.
2. Citizens Who Care for the Elderly and Rural Innovations in Social Economics (RISE) will provide no cost support services to older adults and families coping with the challenges of various stages of dementia, ranging from early memory loss to advanced dementia.

Grant Awards were made to the following organizations and partnerships in Nevada County:

1. Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalition and the Friendship Club will work collaboratively on a program that focuses on the integration of behavioral health and primary care to vulnerable populations.
2. Western Sierra Medical Clinic (WSMC), FREED Center for Independent Living and Community Recovery Resources will work together on initiatives that provide access to primary care and preventative services for vulnerable populations.

Since the program’s inception in 1990, Dignity Health hospitals have made grant awards for nearly 3,000 projects, totaling almost $47 million. Grant recipients are required to complete a detailed grant proposal outlining the purpose and scope of the project to be funded, as well as the population to be served, the project’s outcomes, plans for its long-term operation and measurement of success. Projects must be in the area of health care and related social services.