ST. JOSEPH HEALTH SYSTEM FOUNDATION AWARDS MORE THAN
$2.4 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 48 NON-PROFITS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA

Orange County Organizations Receive More Than $1.1 Million in Grant Funding

ORANGE, Calif., September 14, 2010 – St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) Foundation announced that 48 non-profit organizations across California received its Wellness and Prevention Initiative grants totalling more than $2.4 million. Working in collaboration with its Mission Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital and St. Jude Medical Center facilities, SJHS awarded more than $1.1 million to 24 Orange County-based organizations selected for their unique programs that help promote the health and overall well-being of those in need. The awarded grants support proactive programs and community collaborations that focus on improving the quality of life in the communities surrounding nine SJHS hospitals in California.

“This year’s grantees represent a diverse group of organizations that bridge the health status and quality of life gaps that exist in the economically challenged communities that we serve,” said Gabriela Robles, Executive Director, SJHS Foundation. “The need to come together as a community to address the unmet health needs in Orange County is as great as it has ever been and these organizations help us be active participants in reaching beyond the walls of our hospitals to be an effective community partner.”

The 48 grants, which range from $10,000 to $100,000, focus on initiatives that address childhood obesity, chronic diseases management, nutrition, mental health, youth development, child dental care, job training and homelessness. Awards are administered by local non-profit organizations or SJHS hospitals. Selection criteria is based on the scope of wellness or prevention emphasis, the quality of evidence-based approaches or interventions, the capacity for the program to become self-sufficient, the level of collaboration and partnership within existing community initiatives, and tangible, measurable outcomes.

In Orange County, the following 24 organizations received $1,132,783 in grant funding:

SOUTH ORANGE COUNTY (in collaboration with Mission Hospital)

• Camino Health Center “Camino Smiles” – program offers free dental treatment program for low-income, uninsured patients in South Orange County.

• Mission Hospital “Childhood Obesity Program” – campaign aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyle choices among low-income children and their families.

• Capistrano Unified School District “The Club at the Hub” – academic enrichment program offering support to help students strengthen their bodies and minds.

• CREER (Corazones Alegres Ballet Folklorico Healthy Living) “Comunidad y Familia” – program that promotes healthy living and family values through workouts and performances which provide physical and nutritional exercise and lessons.

• Family Assistance Ministries “Gilchrist House” – transitional living shelter providing up to 12 months of shelter and supportive services for homeless and at-risk women and women with children.

• Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach “Healthy for Life” – program which teaches healthy eating to members starting from preschool to teenagers.

• Laguna Beach Community Clinic “Low Cost Urgent Care Program” – treats acute diagnoses and helps disadvantaged individuals to access further government-funded specialized care.

• Friendship Shelter “Self-Sufficiency Shelter Program for Homeless Adults” – free rehabilitative program providing services to homeless adults in south Orange County.

• Boys and Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley “Triple Play/Healthy Habits Gardens for Life” – program which uses a health and fitness curriculum to teach youth members how to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY (in collaboration with St. Joseph Hospital of Orange)

• Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center “Bridges for Newborns” – program provides local at-risk, low-income families with in-home parent education, medical assessment and supportive services, child development education and resources.

• St. Joseph Hospital of Orange “Caring for Women with Maternal Depression”– treatment program designed to help women with post partum depression.

• MOMS of Orange County “Childhood Obesity Prevention” – program targeting childhood obesity prevention with a comprehensive, early intervention, maternal-child approach.

• Kennedy Commission “Creating Opportunities for Safe, Decent and Affordable Housing for Santa Ana’s Lower Income Working Families” – program to help create safe and affordable housing opportunities for lower income families in Santa Ana.

• Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County “Filling in the Gaps” – program which coordinates specialized dental care for low income children with complex treatment needs who require dental treatment with the use of IV sedation or general anaesthesia

• Volunteer Center Orange County “Children's Health Initiative of Orange County” – provides operating support for program to help match all uninsured children with affordable and quality health care.

• Providence Speech and Hearing Center “Hear for All Program” – provides free or reduced priced hearing screenings, evaluations, and hearing aids to low income patients.

• Mental Health Association of Orange County “Homeless Outreach Program” – program seeks out individuals struggling with mental illness in Orange County and provides mental health, medical assessment and active linkage to services.

• Project HOPE School Foundation “Academic Success Program” – program aimed at eliminating barriers homeless students experience that prevent them from attending school.

• Latino Health Access “Peso Saludable (Healthy Weight)” – nutrition, education and exercise program that aims to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity among Latino children living in Santa Ana.

• Taller San Jose “Stabilizing Young Families Through Medical Careers Training” – program provides marginalized, bilingual youth with training to prepare them for living wage employment in the allied health industry.

• Mary's Shelter “Teen Mom & Baby Health Intervention” – program serves homeless pregnant and parenting minors ages 12-18 years.

NORTH ORANGE COUNTY (in collaboration with St. Jude Medical Center)

• Boys and Girls Club of Fullerton “North Orange County Childhood Obesity Prevention Program” – provides physical activity opportunities to low-income youth five days per week in an effort to create positive changes in local neighborhoods.

• Access OC “Outpatient Surgery Program” – program enhances access to specialty care services for uninsured residents of Orange County.

• St. Jude Medical Center “Vida Sana” – program provides a clinic-based childhood obesity treatment program and school/community-based integrative preventive healthy lifestyle education program.

The St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) is an integrated Catholic healthcare delivery system sponsored by the St. Joseph Health Ministry. We provide a full range of care facilities including acute care hospitals, home health agencies, hospice care, outpatient services, skilled nursing facilities, community clinics, and physician organizations throughout California, Texas and New Mexico. Our 24,000 dedicated employees strive daily to provide perfect care while building the healthiest communities and ensuring every encounter is sacred. SJHS is committed to maintaining a continuum of care that matches the diverse needs of the communities we serve. For more information about SJHS, log onto www.stjoe.org.