Sacramento, CA, – Kaiser Permanente in the Sacramento region is donating just over one million dollars to non-profit organizations that serve the community by improving access to health services, promoting healthy eating and more opportunities for fitness, and preventing youth, family and gang violence.
The Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit grants, which range from $5,000 to $98,000, come at a time when other funding sources are limited and private donations are down. Even county health departments and school districts are among the grant recipients.
Kaiser Permanente has three objectives in its grants: the first is to improve access to health care coverage, health services and health education; the second is to support Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) initiatives; the third is to help prevent community and family violence.
There are 43 grants going to 41 Sacramento-area organizations, totaling just over one million dollars.
Among the highlights: (See the full list of grants at the end of the release)
In Roseville, The Gathering Inn provides not only a place to stay for the homeless but also food, clothes, housing/job placement referrals and urgent medical care, including vaccines. A $30,000 grant will be used to operate two health clinics.
"This is a community problem and the community is coming together to solve it," said Suzi deFosset, executive director of The Gathering Inn. "The medical clinic serves 440 people a year who would not have received medical services otherwise. Kaiser Permanente has always stepped up and been part of the program since we began eight years ago. We couldn't do what we do without this grant program."
– A $20,000 grant to the Neighborworks Home Ownership Center, which runs the Oak Park Farmers market, to increase produce vendors and improve outreach to CalFresh (California's food stamp program), EBT and WIC customers at the market.
"We are definitely seeing a greater need in the community," said Sharon Eghigian with the Neighborworks Home Ownership Center. "We are proud of increasing access to locally grown, healthy food for all residents. Our vendors enjoy being a part of a market that is having such a positive impact in the community."
– A $10,000 grant to The Sheriff's Community Impact Program (SCIP) in Sacramento will support the Deputy Friend Youth Outreach Program which establishes positive mentoring relationships between youth and law enforcement. The goal is to help students stay out of gangs and make positive lifestyle choices.
"By breaking down the misconceptions that all a deputy does is arrest people, we can begin to build a more positive relationship with the community," said Mike Saigeon, Deputy Sheriff & Director of SCIP. "The long-term impact will continue to be slowly realized, perhaps a few years from now. For now, though, we are off to a great start thanks to Kaiser Permanente."
Community Benefit Grant Descriptions
– American Heart Association: to host community health workshops targeted at Latino and African American audiences will offer cooking demonstrations, fun workouts, and provide tools to prevent or manage chronic illness ($15,000)
– Asian Resources: to fund the Cultural Awareness Community Health Education program which divides students by ethnic groups and uses Kaiser Permanente physicians as mentors to help students educate members of their own cultural community on health topics ($25,000)
– Breaking Barriers: to staff a mobile testing RV that goes into the community to do health screenings, as well as HIV/STD testing ($9,966)
– Breathe California of Sacramento – Emigrant Trails: to increase asthma awareness and education in the community, specifically to parents of asthmatic children (10,345.20)
– Community Against Sexual Harm: to improve the lives and health of people, primarily women, who have been victimized by sexual exploitation and prostitution. ($30,000)
– CommuniCare Health Centers: to improve outreach and access to health care services in the uninsured and migrant farmworker community in Yolo County. ($43,323)
– Elk Grove Unified School District: to pay for dental screening and immunization clinics ($36,052)
– Golden Rule Services: to support outreach services and education on HIV and STDs to the African American community ($20,000)
– Harm Reduction Services: to support HIV prevention, treatment and outreach to homeless youth using a mobile testing unit (16,366)
– Health Education Council: to support the Don't Buy The Lie anti-tobacco educational program that reaches out to junior high and high school students ($54,000)
– Kids First: to prevent child abuse through parenting classes. ($25,000)
– Latino Leadership Council: to expand the CREER En Tu Salad health access program which links families to services with help from Spanish-speaking community health advocates called Promotoras. ($35,000)
– Lighthouse Counseling & Family Resource Center: to support anger management courses and counseling in Placer County. ($28,882)
– Natomas Crossroads Church: to offer free basic medical care and health care education in a community clinic. ($20,000)
– Powerhouse Ministries, Inc.: to provide health assessment, access to care and helping the uninsured find health care coverage. ($15,000)
– Sacramento City Unified School District: to staff and support a youth and family resource center ($40,000)
– Sacramento County Dept. of Health and Human Services: to pay for flu clinics in schools with a low-income population ($40,000)
– Sacramento District Dental Foundation: to pay for dental screenings for thousands of children ($20,000)
– Sacramento Loaves and Fishes: to support a mental health counseling program for those who are homeless. ($10,000)
– Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc.: to operate a health care program for low-income underinsured/uninsured patients to help them manage their chronic conditions ($75,000)
– Seniors First: grant will be used to fund Health Express which provides transportation for Placer County individuals, including seniors, to medically related appointments. ($25,000)
– Slavic Assistance Center, Inc.: to remove language and cultural barriers in the Slavic immigrant community and provide access to essential food, health and shelter services. ($5,000)
– The Effort: to help direct the most vulnerable in the community to primary and preventive medical care ($98,000)
– The Gathering Inn: two grants to provide medical services and an interim care program to the unemployed, homeless and very low income population in south Placer County. ($40,250)
– The Keaton Raphael Memorial: the grant supports a program to help uninsured or underinsured families navigate health and social services, and has a special emphasis on helping patients of teenagers ($20,000)
– Way Up Sacramento/Gifts to Share: to support a partnership between Sacramento schools, hospitals and local businesses to improve the health of youth and to inform them about possible health care careers ($25,000)
– Women's Empowerment: Funding will be used to support an eight-week program that seeks to help homeless women with housing, job skills and placement, as well as personal development. ($10,000)
– Yolo Family Service Agency: to fund school-based counseling services for at-risk youth in West Sacramento. ($15,000)
Healthy Eating, Active Living Grants
– Elk Grove Food Bank Services: Expansion of the mobile food pantry to serve seniors and migrant farm workers ($15,000)
– NeighborWorks Home Ownership Center: To expand and support the Oak Park Farmers Market ($20,000)
– Placer County Foodbank: to establish a health education program that will be launched at food distribution sites using locally grown produce ($5,000)
– Folsom Cordova Unified: to fund healthy meal education and cooking demonstrations ($16,000)
Violence Prevention Grants
– Always Knocking, Inc.: to provide critical youth/gang violence prevention and intervention ($20,000)
– Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento: to pay for monitoring, mentoring, tutoring, and positive reinforcement of at-risk youth who may be drawn to gang involvement (25,000)
– My Sister's House: grant will be used for protection, empowerment and prevention support services for women in the Asian Pacific Islander community escaping violent environments ($20,000)
– Sacramento Area Congregations Together: to support faith-based organizations that are providing a pathway out of violence for young people (16-24) who have already been involved in violent crimes ($25,000)
– Sacramento City Unified School District: to provide support, training and materials for bullying prevention on school campuses. ($10,000)
– Sacramento Employment & Training Agency: to support the Ceasefire program, which works to reduce gun and gang violence, and provide a path to jobs and education ($35,000)
– Roberts Family Development Center: to support the Teen Scene Program which provides at-risk teenagers in North Sacramento with safe places to play, learn, study and socialize ($20,000)
– The Sheriff's Community Impact Program: to prevent youth crime and gang involvement through a deputy youth mentoring program. ($10,000)
– PEACE For Families: to support violence intervention education and services in Placer County, with a special focus on the Latina community. ($26,000)
    – WEAVE: to support operations of an eight week program that prepares women and their children for a way out of homelessness ($35,000)
