$491,500 Given to Help Thousands of People in Need
SACRAMENTO, Jan. 14, 2008 - Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), which operates the local Mercy hospitals, has awarded $491,500 in grant funding to 25 nonprofit organizations in Nevada, Sacramento and Yolo counties.
The grants, from $5,000 to $25,000, will impact health issues ranging from Alzheimer's to chronic disease management, and community-based programs that provide services from birth to end-of-life. This year's recipient organizations reach out to local ethnic communities and provide services to multiple generations from infants to the elderly.
"Through our Community Grants Program, we are able to help deliver critical healthcare and social services to those in need," says Mercy's Sacramento Service Area President Tim Moran. "We are proud to work collaboratively with so many outstanding organizations to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve."
The CHW Community Grants Program supports community-based organizations that provide services to individuals in need. The grants program is open to all non-profit service organizations with an interest in building healthier communities by improving health and living conditions. The program supports organizations attempting to address the underlying causes of illness - such as physical and substance abuse, neglect, poverty and homelessness - as well as specific health issues. The grants are funded by contributions from Catholic Healthcare West's member hospitals.
The 2007 CHW Community Grant recipients included:
Community School Solutions of CA - Families United for Nutrition (FUN) program will provide nutrition education and physical activity services to low-income families to reduce chronic health issues caused by childhood obesity
Community Resource Project - Parenting Education to Prevent Childhood Obesity – teaching low-income women in the late pre-natal and postpartum stages to appropriately address behavioral cues and overfeeding
My Sister's House - Provide mental health services to children of victims of domestic violence
Rebuilding Together - Expand injury prevention services to Yolo County for low-income citizens who are elderly and/or disabled
Sacramento Children's Home Crisis Nursery Program - Temporary emergency respite care for children while parents receive treatment in Sacramento County
Society for the Blind - Transportation for the visually impaired to rehabilitation services to enable the acquisition of blindness skills and continued independence
St. John's Shelter - After-Care Program helps clients successfully reintegration into society and become empowered members of the community
WEAVE - Mercy Perinatal Recovery Program - Sexual Assault Survivor Support Collaborative
Catholic Healthcare West has awarded community grants every year since 1990. Since then, CHW has distributed $4.2 million to 193 organizations in the Sacramento area and $27.7 million to deserving projects throughout the CHW system. 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. The projects must be in the area of healthcare, social services, education, economic development or holistic health.
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About Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is a system of 42 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada. Founded in 1986, it is the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit provider in California. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. The CHW network of more than 7,500 physicians and approximately 40,000 employees provides health care services to more than four million people annually. In 2006, CHW provided $465 million in charity care and unsponsored community benefit. For more information, please visit our Web site at mercysacramento.org.
