San Jose, CA – On December 15th, the Health Trust’s Board of Trustees approved a set of five new grants, including the launch of a collaborative and community-rooted three-year grantmaking pilot to support people with Type 2 diabetes in managing their condition. The grants, totaling $655,000, are part of quarter two of the Health Trust’s fiscal year 2022-2023 $2.3 million grantmaking budget to support community organizations and public agencies aligned with building health equity in Silicon Valley.
Three Type 2 Diabetes Pilot Program grants, invested out of the foundation’s Health Partnership Fund, have been awarded to community health centers – Gardner Health Services, Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, and Roots Community Health Center. Two additional grants were also awarded this quarter, one to West Valley Community Services (WVCS) under the same Health Partnership Fund, and one to Child Advocates of Silicon Valley under the Emerging Opportunity Fund.
Together, the approved grants will improve health by strengthening Child Advocate’s service delivery by developing intervention models to support non-minor dependents so that they have a fair chance to thrive; organizing WVCS clients experiencing food and housing insecurity to advocate for policy change; and improving health outcomes amongst individuals with Type 2 diabetes by providing residents with access and quality care in disease management, nutrition and fitness classes, health education, and health coaching.
Health Partnership Grant Awards
Health Partnership Grants support organizations, projects and/or programs that contribute and align with our mission and focus areas: Improving Health Through Food, Making Chronic Conditions More Preventable & Manageable, and Prioritizing Health In Housing.
Type 2 Diabetes Multi-Year Pilot Project
Nine percent of all Santa Clara County adults are diagnosed with diabetes – without proper management, this chronic condition can have detrimental health consequences such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and premature death. Low-income communities of color suffer from diabetes at higher rates than others, leaving already vulnerable groups at higher risk of serious illness and even death – evident by the impacts of COVID-19 on these same communities. In response to this pressing and growing health concern, The Health Trust is poised to go bigger and bolder in the management and prevention of diabetes, including the launch of a three-year grantmaking pilot in partnership with three trusted community clinics to support people with Type 2 diabetes so that they have a fair chance to live a healthy life.
The pilot aims to improve overall access and quality of care in disease management for residents who are diabetic; provide patients with poorly controlled diabetes with nutrition and fitness classes, health education, care coordination, and other support to mitigate social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers; and improve health outcomes in type 2 diabetes care within specific communities by increasing awareness, education, access, opportunity to engage in care, and support for lifestyle changes. The Health Trust will partner with three community health centers, Gardner Health Services, Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, and Roots Community Health Center, each with unique project goals and proposed outcomes:
- Gardner Health Services
To improve overall access and quality of care in disease management for patients who are diabetic in Gilroy at the Gardner South County Health Center. Gardner Health Services will achieve this goal through culturally and linguistically responsive patient outreach, engagement, intake, assessment, case management, and follow-up.
- Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley
To provide uncontrolled diabetic patients with nutrition and fitness classes, health education, and care coordination to mitigate social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers.
- Roots Community Health Center, South Bay
To improve health outcomes in diabetes care within communities of African descent by bringing community members into care, conducting targeted in-reach and outreach, and providing self-management support for its existing type 2 diabetes patients who are at-risk for poorer outcomes.
West Valley Community Services (WVCS)
To organize WVCS clients experiencing food and housing insecurity to advocate for public policy change, assume leadership roles, and participate in policy decisions and discussions, resulting in empowerment, systemic change, and collective liberation.
Emerging Opportunity Grant Awards
Emerging Opportunity Grants are designed to support projects that fall outside of the Health Trust’s focus areas, yet advance the health and well-being of the most vulnerable populations.
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley
To strengthen Child Advocate’s service delivery by developing intervention models to support non-minor dependents (18-21 years old) so that they have a fair chance to thrive, especially after they exit foster care.
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About the Health Trust The Health Trust was formed in 1996 from the sale of three non-profit hospitals, establishing an endowment designated to fund external community partners addressing medically-related community needs. Since then, the Health Trust has served Silicon Valley as a nonprofit operating foundation, annually investing over $2M to nonprofit and public agencies that support the health and well-being of residents in Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties. The Health Trust also provides direct services and advocates for policies and initiatives that help achieve our mission to build health equity in Silicon Valley. To learn more, please visit healthtrust.org.
Contact: Maria Garcia | mariag@healthtrust.org | 408.513.8729