2011 Community Grants Program
Applications are no longer being accepted for Dignity Health's 2011 Community Grants Program for Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers.
Information about the 2012 Community Grants Program will be posted on this page in July 2012.
2011 Community Grants Overview: The right resources in the right place at the right time.
We can't change the world by ourselves. Partnering with others who share our vision and values is the only way to bring about real improvements in the healthcare system. Our Community Grants Program is one way we are working with others to increase access to quality care for underserved populations. With this program, Dignity Health realizes its mission and enhances the advocacy, social justice and healthier communities’ efforts of its hospitals and religious and community sponsors. Dignity Health seeks to partner with other nonprofit organizations that are working to improve the health status and quality of life in the communities we serve and whose efforts embody Dignity Health's Core Values.
Our Community Grants Program is funded by contributions from its member hospitals. Typically, grants awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 and projects funded must involve collaboration with others. Since this program began in 1990 we have made grant awards to nearly 1,800 projects totaling over $30 million.
Priorities
The objective of the Community Grants Program is to award grants to nonprofit organizations whose proposals respond the Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert's strategic priorities identified in the health assessment and/or community benefit plan. In addition, programs will be evaluated for the five Community Benefit Principles of serving disenfranchised populations with unmet health needs, primary prevention, seamless continuum of care, community capacity building, and collaborative governance. Dignity Health grant funds are to be used to provide services to underserved populations.
Criteria:
- Funding up to $50,000. Grants over $25,000 are for a twenty-four month period of time. Due to availability of funds, hospitals may reduce this limit.
- Strict adherence to grant guidelines.
- Proposals must identify the type of change expected and how and over what time period progress will be measured.
Eligibility:
- Applicant must be a 501© (3) nonprofit organization or have a fiscal agent that is a 501© (3) organization and capable of administering the project’s funds.
- The project/program must be a response to the health priorities identified in the local hospitals Community Health Assessment or Community benefit plan.
- Organization must identify the type of change expected, and how and over what time period progress will be measured.
- The project to be funded must involve collaboration with other organizations and/or with a Dignity Health hospital.
Timeline:
- Announcement of Initiative: Monday, July 11, 2011
- Intent to apply due: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 4 p.m.
- Encourage/discourage notification: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 4 p.m.
- Final grant application due: Friday, September 16, 2011 4 p.m.
- Final grant approval by the Investment Committee: Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert - 2011 Initiative
Dignity Health's Community Health Assessment and Benefit Plan identified ambulatory sensitive conditions and chronic disease as key health priorities. In addition, transition care after discharge, mental health, and child water and car safety are increasing concerns.
2011 Initiative
This year’s grant initiative will support Dignity Health's community partnership and outreach efforts in the form of spiritual, emotional, and/or physical intervention, prevention, and/or management measures for diseases and chronic conditions including diabetes, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, chest pain/heart disease, asthma, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mental health, and child water and car safety. Considerations will also be given to programs focusing on high-risk populations such as elderly, disabled, and/or mentally ill. Additionally, consideration will be given to programs addressing continuum of care transition programs that offer support to patients after discharge and aim to decrease readmission for patients suffering from chronic disease.
Chronic Disease:
Seven out of the ten leading causes of death in Arizona are attributable to chronic disease. Chronic disease is a leading cause of impaired daily functioning and disability and is the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems.
Each year Dignity Health's East Valley facilities see over 9,000, patients with heart disease and over 6,000 patients with diabetes. Many patients are readmitted due to lack of resources to manage their condition.
Heart Disease:
Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Arizona in 2007. According to 2004 statistics, 13,838 deaths in Arizona were related to heart disease. Hospital discharge data for the same year showed 98,976 cardiovascular related hospitalizations in Arizona, average cost of $38,775 per hospitalization for a total cost of $3.4 billion. Each year, we see 12, 000 patients for hypertension.
Department of Health Vital Statistics. Arizona Health Status and Vital Statistics.
Diabetes:
Estimates of the number of Arizonans diagnosed with diabetes increased nearly seven percent from 2002 to 2004 to 279,964 individuals. Arizona Hospital Discharge data show 91,723 diabetes related hospitalizations with an average length of stay of 4.7 days.
The average cost for diabetes related hospitalizations in 2004 per visit was $26,867 a total for all hospitals of $2.4 billion, second to the cost of cardiovascular disease related hospitalizations. We facilities receive over 3,000 referrals a year.
Arizona Surveillance Data. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Combined State Sheets. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. (PDF)
Underserved populations who suffer from a chronic disease, and have limited access to education, medical care, and support, are more likely to have less control of their chronic disease leading to increased admission and readmission. In addition, the quality of life for these individuals is greatly affected. Effective community-based prevention programs are of significant importance in provision of resources to this population.
Mental Health:
Behavioral health (mental health and substance use) issues are increasingly identified as having significant impact in communities and those who serve them. For a variety of reasons – fragmentations of healthcare, stigma associated with receiving treatment, lack of recognition of symptoms – individuals often do not seek care or do not seek care at the level that is required for treatment of these serious conditions.
From July 2010 through May 2011, our facility's clinical social workers provided nearly 5,108 psychiatric evaluations for suicide (ideation, gesture, or attempt), depression, (including various post partum mood disorders) drug and/or other abuse, and other mental health reasons. Of those evaluations, 2,777 were from the emergency rooms and 777 were for uninsured or underinsured individuals.
Although depression is a major cause of mental illness for many who seek care, availability of mental health in-patient and community resources is lacking, creating significant consequences for the individuals seeking help, the community, and health care organizations.
Child Water and Car Safety:
(check needs assessment and Arizona state for car, water, and other child injuries)
Accidental deaths for children (0 - 18) continue to be an ongoing concern. According to the 2009 Arizona Child Fatality Review Program, there were 947 child deaths; 33 percent of the deaths were preventable.
Drowning: In 2009, there were 33 deaths in Arizona. Drowning deaths have increased each year since 2007. Of the drowning's in 2009, 100 percent were preventable and 28 resulted from lack of supervision.
Car Deaths: In 2009, there were 81 deaths in Arizona; 93 percent were preventable and 41 percent were due to lack of proper restraint.
Hot Cars
: Children are dying in hot vehicles. Death due to children being left in hot vehicles is on the rise nationally. Thirty-three deaths occurred in 2009 and 49 in 2010. In Arizona, three deaths occurred in Phoenix, two in the East Valley. Since 2000, Arizona has had over 21 children die in hot vehicles, eight in the Phoenix service area. Populations most effected by child deaths were children age up to age four and disproportionately high among minority children. For example, statistics related to child drowning revealed Hispanic (44 percent), African American (10 percent), and Native American (seven percent).The Arizona child Fatality Review indicated the need to target minority populations when implementing prevention strategies.
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*Resource: Arizona Child Fatality Review Program (2009). Seventeenth Annual Report November 2009. (PDF)
