MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (June 29, 2017) – The El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors approved $7 million in funding to support local health initiatives for fiscal year 2018 through its Community Benefit Grant Program. Grant recipients include school districts, nonprofit organizations, safety-net clinics and community service agencies that address the unmet health needs of residents who live, work, or go to school in the District.
“Each year, the District reinvests a substantial portion of the property taxes collected to local health initiatives that are having a direct impact on our District community members,” said Peter C. Fung, MD, chair of the El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors. “Our 57 grant partners have demonstrated that their work addresses a community need affecting a large portion of the community. They have the expertise and ability to show the impact they are making to improve the health and well-being of our community members.”
Through the Community Benefit Grant Program, the District is working collaboratively with area organizations to create Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds, and Healthy Communities. Funding will be allocated in these key areas:
- Healthy Body grants include school nurse programs, access to medical care for homeless, uninsured and underserved community members, dental services, school-based nutrition and physical activity programs, access to healthy food, and case management for seniors with chronic conditions.
- Healthy Mind programs include school-based mental health counseling, culturally focused support for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, initiatives to reduce depression and isolation in seniors, domestic violence services, and psychiatric treatment for those with severe mental health conditions and substance abuse issues.
- Healthy Community grants include nutrition education, awareness and screening for hypertension, senior focused programs including fall prevention, transportation, and home delivered meals, culturally based screenings and education programs, summer camps for youth, and basic needs assistance for low-income community members.
The El Camino Healthcare District has again committed a record high level of funding to help improve the health and well-being of people in the District. Additional information about funding priorities, selected grants and opportunities for future funding are available at www.elcaminohealthcaredistrict.org.
The El Camino Hospital District was established by voter approval in 1956 in accordance with California Local Hospital District Law. The purpose of the District is to establish, maintain and operate or provide assistance in the operation of health facilities and other health care services provider, groups and organizations that are necessary for the maintenance of good physical and mental health in the communities served by the District. The District, now known as El Camino Healthcare District, encompasses most of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills; a large portion of Sunnyvale, and small sections of Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Palo Alto. The publicly elected El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors approves tax dollar expenditures, including expenditures for the award winning Community Benefit program. Community Benefit funds are granted each year to local nonprofits, schools and government programs that provide critical health services to the underserved. All District Board meetings are publically noticed, open to the public, and available for viewing on the District website.