The Kresge Foundation announced today that it has awarded $900,000 for part-one planning and design grants to 12 public-health agencies and community nonprofit organizations in 11 states as part of its Safety-net Enhancement Initiative. The foundation also has committed $4.6 million in first-round operational funding to 20 charitable and public-health clinics in 12 states and the District of Columbia through its Health Clinic Opportunity Fund.
These two grantmaking opportunities are key elements of Kresge’s Health Program, which includes a nationwide effort to support safety-net institutions and those providing public-health services to underserved populations in high-need rural and urban settings. Kresge’s funding, particularly the Health Clinic Opportunity Fund, is a direct response to the nation’s economic downturn and widespread job loss, which have increased uninsured patient loads and strained the capabilities of public-health clinics that do not receive federal assistance.
“Overall, these grants are intended to improve the quality and access to public-health services for low-income and uninsured individuals,” says David D.Fukuzawa, program director for Kresge’s Health Team. “This is an opportunity to assist organizations serving the most vulnerable populations.”
The Safety-net Enhancement Initiative, launched in 2009, is designed to reduce disparities and improve the health outcomes of low-income children and adults. The four-year, two-part initiative seeks to encourage community-health centers and anchor institutions, such as public-health and school systems, to collaborate on the development of new models and approaches for improving population health in underserved areas.
The recipients of $75,000 part-one grants include two public-health departments, seven community-health centers, one major health system and two community nonprofits in three rural and nine urban locations, including Detroit. “We are reaching out to many different populations in an effort to reflect the geography and diversity of low-income communities across the country,” Fukuzawa explains.
See below for a complete list of Safety-net Enhancement Initiative part-one planning and design award recipients.
The funding will support an initial nine-month program planning and design phase during which grantees will identify key health disparities, such as obesity and diabetes, and formulate collaborative models for addressing them. Seven to 10 of the planning-grant recipients will then be selected on a competitive basis to receive part-two grants of up to $750,000 each over three years to fund the demonstration of their proposed projects.
At the conclusion of the three-year period, the new models will be evaluated and made public. It is hoped that these innovative approaches will positively impact the future direction of public-health care.
The Health Clinic Opportunity Fund, also unveiled in 2009, is a two-year national grant program aimed at building the operational capacity of charitable health clinics, public-health clinics, and those designated as federally qualified health center lookalikes. The first round of grants will provide each recipient with $300,000 over two years. A second round of grant funding will be awarded in June 2010.
“Kresge’s grantmaking is particularly critical for the operation of these free clinics because they did not receive any federal stimulus money,” Fukuzawa explains. “The clinics are staffed mainly by volunteers and serve primarily uninsured individuals. Due to job losses and tough times in general, these sites experienced a major increase in new patients during 2008 and 2009. A second wave may be coming in 2010 as well.”
In addition, Fukuzawa says, clinics in wealthy neighborhoods often do not meet the criteria for designation as federally qualified health centers and thus receive no federal assistance. This gap leaves low-income residents in affluent areas with few public-health alternatives.
See below for a complete list of the Health Clinic Opportunity Fund award recipients.
For more information, contact Cynthia Shaw, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 248-643-9630.
Safety-net Enhancement Initiative part-one planning and desgin award recipients:
Arizona
| North Country Health Care |
Flagstaff |
California
| Alameda County Public Health Department |
Oakland |
Hawaii
| Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Services |
Honolulu |
Illinois
| Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation |
Sauget |
Maryland
| Primary Care Coalition |
Baltimore |
Massachusetts
| Whittier Street Health Center |
Boston |
Michigan
| Voices of Detroit |
Detroit |
| Saginaw County Health Department |
Saginaw |
New Mexico
| Taos Health System |
Taos |
Ohio
| The Cleveland Clinic |
Cleveland |
South Carolina
| Beaufort-Jasper-Hampton Health Services |
Ridgeland |
Tennessee
| Christ Community Health Services |
Memphis |
Health Clinic Opportunity Fund award recipients:
California
| American Indian Healing Center |
Whittier |
| Anderson Valley Health Center Inc. |
Boonville |
| Laguna Beach Community Clinic |
Laguna Beach |
| Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics |
Santa Barbara |
| Santa Cruz Women’s Health Center |
Santa Cruz |
District of Columbia
| Bread for the City Inc. |
Washington |
Florida
| Baker County Health Department |
MacClenny |
| Caridad Center Inc. |
Boynton Beach |
Georgia
| Goodwin Community Health Center Inc. (Coastal Medical Access Project) |
Brunswick |
Indiana
| Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. |
Hammond |
Maryland
| Mobile Medical Care Inc. |
Bethesda |
Michigan
| Hope Medical Clinic Inc. |
Ypsilanti |
| Mercy Primary Care Center |
Detroit |
Missouri
| Community Health-In-Partnership Services |
St. Louis |
North Carolina
| Davidson Medical Ministries Clinic Inc. |
Lexington |
Ohio
| Columbus Medical Association Physicians Free Clinic |
Columbus |
| The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland |
Cleveland |
Rhode Island
| Rhode Island Free Clinic Inc. |
Providence |
South Carolina
| Volunteers in Medicine Clinic |
Hilton Head Island |
Texas
Asian American Health Coalition of the
Greater Houston Area |
Houston |
