2007 Community Grants Awarded

Three local community organizations receive funding

Grants will fund programs for low-income families,
the elderly and disabled in Yolo County

Woodland, CA, Jan. 14, 2008 - Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), which operates Woodland Healthcare, has awarded $57,000 in grant funding to three nonprofit organizations in Yolo County.

The grants, from $5,000 to $25,000, will impact health issues ranging from mental illness to chronic disease management, and community-based programs that provide services for families and the elderly. CHW has awarded $491,500 in grant funding to 25 nonprofit organizations in Nevada, Sacramento and Yolo counties.

"Our commitment to the community goes beyond the care we provide in our hospital and medical offices," said Woodland Healthcare President Kevin Vaziri. "We are proud to collaborate with nonprofit organizations in Yolo County to help provide health and social services to people in need."

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 Yolo County organizations that received grants are:

CommuniCare Health Centers received a $25,000 grant. The organization will use the grant to fund a Promotores de Salud program aimed at educating low-income migrant and seasonal farm workers and non-English speaking immigrant families who are at risk for complications from unmanaged chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, childhood obesity and childhood dental disease. The "promotores" will be community volunteers trained to act as liaisons between the at-risk population and health care providers at CommjniCare Health Centers.

Yolo Family Service Agency received a $25,000 grant. The agency will use the grant to fund mental and behavioral health counseling in both English and Spanish for low-income adults, children and families.

Rebuilding Together received a $7,000 grant. It will use the grant to fund its Safe at Home Program for low-income, elderly, disabled or families with children. Volunteers will install safety devices on 30 homes in Yolo County, which will decrease the number of home injuries and hospitalizations. Safety devices include grab bars, ramps, smoke and fire detectors, stair handrails and transfer poles.

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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