Earlier this year, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) awarded $1.7 million to 24 local nonprofit organizations tackling some of our region’s most pressing health challenges.
The 2024 Community Health Improvement Grants program supports nonprofits as they improve access to care, behavioral health, chronic disease prevention and violence prevention. Serving underrepresented and underserved populations is a key goal of VMFH’s grants.
“We want to give back by partnering with local organizations and nurturing the health and quality of life in communities we serve,” said Ketul J. Patel, chief executive officer of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and President of CommonSpirit Health’s Northwest Region. “The Community Health Improvement Grants program helps us serve, advance health equity and demonstrate our values.”
Funded by contributions from eight VMFH hospitals and in partnership with CommonSpirit Health, the program selected the grantees from across communities VMFH serves.
Regional Director of Community Health Doug Baxter-Jenkins spoke to the importance of spending in the community. “We’re investing and building capacity into partners who are reducing health disparities. These projects increase social support, access to basic needs and ultimately lives saved.”
Awardee Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) raised equitable access to care by training culturally competent medical interpreters to work within their own communities. PLU’s Office of Continuing Education has developed an online, state-approved Spanish language Medical Interpretation course and is delivering it at no cost to three cohorts of 15 students selected from the South Sound.
Upon completion, students are prepared to take the state exam (fees paid by the grant funds) and support local needs. Thirty students have already graduated and can begin work as Spanish medical interpreters.
This year’s awardees include:
- Communities in Schools of Lakewood
- Emergency Food Network
- HopeSparks
- KC HELP
- Key Peninsula Healthy Community
- Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center
- Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center
- North Kitsap Fishline
- Nourish Pierce County Food Banks
- Pacific Lutheran University
- Peace Lutheran Church
- Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank
- Plateau Outreach Ministries
- Project Access Northwest
- Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation
- Resilient in Sustaining Empowerment
- Seattle Center Foundation
- Solid Ground WA
- Step By Step Family Support Center
- Tacoma SEED – Hilltop Urban Gardens
- Tacoma Urban League
- Teen Feed
- Vine Maple Place
- YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties
Grant applications are open for 2025 and awardees will be selected in November of this year. For more information on the Community Health Improvement Grants program, visit vmfh.org/community-grants. (Kelly Akers)
