SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, announced today that it has awarded $4.3 million in grants to non-profit organizations in California, Arizona, and Nevada who are making a difference in their communities. Since 1990, Dignity Health has created thousands of partnerships through these grants, totaling $51.3 million, in an effort to transform communities and the health of their residents.
“Helping create a healthy community is critical to our mission and helps prevent life altering chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease from the beginning,” said Lloyd H. Dean, president/CEO of Dignity Health. “We are proud to support organizations that are making impactful changes that support healthful lifestyles and access to quality care in our communities.”
Dignity Health’s community grants program is funded by individual member hospitals and each award is determined through a selection process. Every Dignity Health hospital conducts a community health needs assessment (CHNA) to identify strategic priority areas. Hospitals then use these criteria to award grants to organizations whose proposals respond to the priorities areas identified in the health assessment, including access to quality primary care and collaborate with other public service entities to facilitate the coordination of care. Dignity Health also ensures that grants are distributed to variety of organizations in numerous amounts to contribute to a seamless continuum of care within the community.
This year, Dignity Health granted awards from $2,500 to more than $100,000 to local organizations in priority areas ranging from access to health services and chronic disease management to nutrition, physical activity, and weight management. Many Dignity Health hospitals recognized organizations that leveraged the power of collaboration in their communities to offer comprehensive assistance to those in need.
The Human Services Campus, which was awarded $35,000 from Dignity Health – St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center in Phoenix, is a novel example of an organization that partners with several social services agencies to provide services and resources to individuals experiencing homelessness in metropolitan Phoenix.
Another example of a collaborative effort is the Community Bridges program which was granted $48,571 from Dignity Health – Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, CA. Community Bridges hosts a family of programs that address community goals including closing the academic achievement gap, supporting independent living for seniors and increasing access to medical care and good nutrition. Through these connections and partnerships, Dignity Health is strengthening and improving the health and lives of the communities they serve.
About Dignity Health
Dignity Health, one of the nation’s largest health care systems, is a 20-state network of nearly 9,000 physicians, 56,000 employees, and more than 400 care centers, including hospitals, urgent and occupational care, imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Headquartered in San Francisco, Dignity Health is dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY14, Dignity Health provided nearly $2 billion in charitable care and services. For more information, please visit our website at www.dignityhealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
