Contact: Maria Garcia | mariag@healthtrust.org | 408.513.8729
San Jose, CA – On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, The Health Trust’s Board of Trustees approved four grants totaling $494,037 to California Right Care Initiative, a program of UC Berkeley School of Public Health; the Institute on Aging; Parents Helping Parents; and the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits. The grants are part of The Health Trust’s $2.2 million annual Health Partnership Fund supporting community organizations and public agencies aligned with the organization’s mission of building health equity in Silicon Valley. In the first two quarters of fiscal year 2020, The Health Trust has invested $1,139,037 toward nine organizations.
The approved grants will: significantly reduce preventable deaths and disabilities from heart attack and stroke in Santa Clara County; identify a long-term sustainability plan for the Community Living Connection program that supports the Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) population; develop and implement a policy/advocacy agenda framework for the special needs movement; and increase the capacity of the food access ecosystem in San Jose and promote healthy food policies throughout the County of Santa Clara.
Grant Awards
California Right Care Initiative, UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Building from the San Diego Right Care Initiative (RCI) collaborative, which was associated with 3,826 fewer heart attack hospitalizations and $86M in savings, RCI seeks to strengthen its Right Care Initiative in Santa Clara County. Over the next 24 months, and with a strong community-focus, RCI seeks to reduce the number of preventable deaths due to heart attacks and strokes county-wide through improved data transparency, trust, and implementation of best practices of managing cardiovascular risks. Additionally, due to the stark health disparities when compared to the County average, RCI’s work will include a specific focus on Supervisorial District 2.
Institute on Aging
According to the 2016 Santa Clara County Gap Analysis on Care Facilities and Transitional Housing, 10-20% of long-term care (LTC) residents could live independently in the community with appropriate housing, medical, and social services supports. Through Whole Person Care funding, IOA piloted the Community Living Connection (CLC) program in Santa Clara County, the program is made up of four critical elements. To date, IOA has transitioned 50 individuals out of institutionalization and is on track to transition 106 individuals by December 2020. In an effort to support the LTSS community (after WPC funding concludes), IOA, over the next 12 months, seeks to develop a long-term sustainability plan for the CLC program.
Parents Helping Parents
More than 700,000 Californians with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities live in our state; over 20,000 of them are Santa Clara County residents. Over the years, the support structure for the special needs community has been grossly underfunded – a trend that continues to grow. Over the next 17 months, PHP seeks to develop and implement a policy/advocacy framework and better inform and engage parents in important public policy issues impacting the special needs community. Simultaneously, PHP will provide parents of children with special needs the tools and training to transform them into effective advocates.
Silicon Council of Nonprofits
SVCN seeks to strengthen the food access ecosystem by working on policies, system and environment changes that elevate and prioritize access to nutritious food. Over the next 12 months, SVCN plans to: work on food procurement policies; convene stakeholders and find solutions for the shortage of commercial kitchen space in San Jose; develop a policy resource page on its website and a policy-focused newsletter to keep members abreast of policy initiatives that may impact nonprofit clients, focused on health and food access policy; and convene key stakeholders to identify ways to better support the nearly 300,000 San Jose residents who are food insecure.
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About The Health Trust
The Health Trust is an operating foundation founded in 1996. Our mission is to build health equity in Silicon Valley. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to be healthy – especially the most vulnerable. To that end, we fund community-based organizations and public agencies whose work aligns with our mission, provide direct services, and advocate for policies and initiatives that help build health equity. To learn more, please visit healthtrust.org.