SAN ANDREAS, CA – January 23, 2013– Mark Twain Medical Center (MTMC) has selected six Calaveras County nonprofit organizations to receive Dignity Health Community Grants for 2012.
“Besides having the opportunity to listen to each of the recipients about their projects, this luncheon also provides us the opportunity to talk about our Community Benefit programs and celebrate their successes,” commented Larry Cornish, V.P. Chief Operating Officer, who serves on the Executive Leadership team that evaluated grants. “In 2012, over 52,000 persons benefited from our community programs. Highlights included a total community benefit expenditure of over $32 million. Quantifiable benefits included over $3M in benefit to our more vulnerable populations, $40,000 for the broader community, traditional charity care, unpaid costs of Medi-cal and Medicare, community service donations, community health services and education, and community building activities.”
This year’s honorees include:
Resource Connection – Sexual Assault Response Team (provides immediate response, and appropriate services and support to adult and child victims of sexual assault through a multi disciplinary, criminal justice based process)
Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth and Families (serves fresh food out of their garden in bi-weekly meals and provides education to the community)
Live On! Suicide Prevention (provides awareness and support services)
Hospice of Amador and Calaveras Greif Busters (supports children during grief)
Resource Connection - Food Bank (serves 2,523 families-accounting for 15% of the population of Calaveras County)
Calaveras Children’s Mobile Dental (has provided preventive dental services to Calaveras children since 1997)
The Dignity Health Community Grants Program is designed to support not-for-profit organizations that collaborate to address community health needs, particularly those that focus on underserved populations. The MTMC Executive Leadership Team carefully evaluated the programs to determine which programs best address the unmet health needs as revealed in MTMC Community Needs Assessment. Twenty-two local nonprofit organizations submitted proposals, requesting a total of $523,000.
“On behalf of Dignity Health, we are pleased to award $22,000 in community grants this year,” said Craig Marks, Hospital President. “Each of these organizations provides invaluable services to our community ranging from seniors to youth and we are thankful for all that they do.”
“I feel like I am in a room full of friends,” remarked Jeannie Hayward, Food Bank Director. “All of us here collaborate in our daily efforts to serve the community.”
“On behalf of the SART team, we would like to thank MTMC for this opportunity to further support our victims of sexual assault,” stated Calaveras County District Attorney Barbara Yook. “In addition to the grant funds we have received today, MTMC continues to provide an exam room for our victims so that they can be treated here locally and not have to travel for hours on end in the back of a patrol car out of county and back. Transporting victims entails an additional expense to the county for the cost of the officer and exam. With the support of MTMC we can keep all of our local resources in the county.”
The hospital honored grant recipients at an awards luncheon held January 17th, 2013. To date, more than $310,000 has been awarded to Calaveras organizations by the Dignity Health Community Grants Program.
Each grant program candidate must submit a letter of intent and a full proposal by the deadline in order to be considered. The Dignity Health Community Grants Program varies according to the size of each hospital. Applicants must be a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization or have a fiscal agent that is a 501(c) (3) organization and capable of administering the funds; the project or program must be a response to the health priorities identified in the local Dignity Health hospital’s community health assessment or benefit plan, and the project to be funded must involve collaboration with other organizations and/or with a Dignity Health hospital in our community.
For more information regarding the Dignity Health Community grants please visit marktwainmedicalcenter.org and click on the Community Grants link.