MyChart
St. Luke’s Awards $500,000 in Community Health Grants
Many Idaho non-profits will get a financial boost this week, thanks to community grants awarded through St. Luke’s Health System. Nearly $500,000 was awarded to 85 different organizations through St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund (CHIF).
"St. Luke's applauds the work of our non-profit partners whose work aligns with our mission to improve the health of our region," said Darin DeAngeli, chair of the St. Luke's Treasure Valley Community Board. "Working collaboratively, we can leverage our resources more effectively and provide more programs and services to meet the health needs of children and adults."
Nearly 120 non-profits applied for grants this year. Special consideration was given to proposals that target needs identified by St. Luke's through its 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The CHNA is a comprehensive analysis of a community's most important health needs. The CHNA process includes an extensive review of local, regional and national data along with in-depth interviews with key community leaders.
The CHNA top three priorities are:
- Improve the prevention, detection and treatment of obesity and diabetes
- Improve the prevention, detection and management of mental illness and reduce suicide
- Improve access to affordable health care and affordable health insurance
The 2017 CHIF grants include partnerships with these organizations:
- Three Boys and Girls Clubs, the Idaho Foodbank, Girls on the Run and the Idaho Walk-Bike Alliance to support the prevention, detection and treatment of obesity and diabetes.
- Ada County Paramedics, Terry Reilly Health Services, Central District Health and the Idaho Children's Trust Fund to support the prevention, detection and management of mental illness and reduce suicide.
- Family Advocates, FACES, Ronald McDonald House and the Mexican Consulate's Health Window program to improve access to affordable health care and affordable health insurance.
CHIF Grant Helps Fund Healthy Snacks for Underserved Children
A Create Common Good program that provides healthy snacks for children in Boise will expand to Canyon County, thanks to a grant from the St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund.
Create Common Good is a Boise-based food service job-training program that helps people with barriers to employment become self-sufficient while meeting the needs of the community.
“We use food to change lives and build healthy communities,” said CEO Tracy Hitchcock.
Create Common Good is collaborating with the Cathedral of the Rockies Kids Are Special People program and the Women’s and Children Alliance to provide snacks to children in Boise.
The CHIF grant will enable the program to expand to a Nampa school or after-school program this spring.
Hitchcock says a staggering 83 percent of Idaho children do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, which makes them more likely to experience long-term health consequences such as weight gain and obesity.
At Create Common Good, trainees use fresh seasonal produce, whole grains and other healthy food to create snacks for underserved children.
“Without the St. Luke’s dollars we would not be able to offer it to our target population,” Hitchcock said.
CHIF Recipients for 2017
- Ada County Medical Society Foundation
- Ada County Paramedics
- Advocates Against Family Violence
- Alzheimer's Association, Greater ID Chapter
- American Cancer Society
- American Heart Association-Idaho Division
- American Lung Association in Idaho
- Assistance League of Boise
- Autism Society Treasure Valley
- Betting on a Cure
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of SW Idaho
- Boise Art Museum
- Boise Development Cycling, DBA
- Boise Parks & Recreation Department
- Boise Public Schools Foundation
- Boise Rescue Mission Ministries
- Boise State Dance Marathon
- Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS)
- Boys & Girls Club of Nampa
- Boys & Girls Club of W. Treasure Valley
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County
- Camp Rainbow Gold, Inc.
- Catholic Charities of Idaho
- Central District Health Department
- Children's Home Society of Idaho
- Create Common Good
- Discovery Center of Idaho
- Elmore County Domestic Violence Council
- Elmore County Misdemeanor Probation
- Expedition Inspiration Fund
- FACES Foundation
- Family Advocates
- Friends of Zoo Boise (ID Zoological Society)
- Fruitland Community Events
- Genesis Community Health
- Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Centers
- Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council
- Girls on the Run Idaho
- Health Window Program
- Hometown Dealers
- Idaho 2 Fly
- Idaho Academy of Family Physicians
- Idaho Chapter Nat'l Hemophilia Foundation
- Idaho Children's Trust Fund
- Idaho Food Bank
- Idaho Humane Society
- Idaho Immunization Coalition
- Idaho Voices for Children / Jannus
- Idaho Walk Bike Alliance
- Jayden DeLuca Foundation
- Junior Achievement of Idaho
- Learning Lab
- Legacy Corps / Jannus
- Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
- Lifeways, Inc.
- Little Ski Hill
- LoveCaldwell
- March of Dimes Foundation
- Mountain Home Parks and Recreation
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- Nampa Family Justice Center
- National MS Society, Utah So. ID Chapter
- Northwest Nazarene University X-Country
- One Stone
- Opera Idaho
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
- Reel Recovery
- River Discovery
- Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho
- Rotary Club of Boise
- Serve Idaho
- Snake River Stampede
- Special Olympics Idaho
- St. Luke's McCall Foundation
- Surviving Hearts
- Susan G. Komen, Idaho Montana
- Terry Reilly Health Services
- Treasure Valley Down Syndrome Assoc.
- Treasure Valley Family YMCA
- Treasure Valley Food Coalition
- Treefort Music Fest
- U of I Vandal Scholarship Fund
- Valley Regional Transit
- Weiser Memorial Hospital Foundation
- Women's and Children's Alliance
About The Author
Anita Kisseé was the Treasure Valley public relations manager for St. Luke’s Health System.
