St. Joseph’s Awards $250K in Community Grants

STOCKTON, February 12, 2019 - St. Joseph's Medical Center has awarded over $250,000 in grant funding to five local community benefit organizations that provide critical health and human services to residents in San Joaquin County. 

"Caring for our community, especially those most in need, is truly at the heart of our mission at St. Joseph's" said Sister Abby Newton, OP, Vice President of Mission Integration and Spiritual Care. "We are proud to be collaborating with these outstanding organizations to improve the health and well-being of our community."

St. Joseph's awarded grants to the following five organizations, in partnership with other local agencies:

• Community Health Connectors: Asian Pacific Self-development & Residential Association (APSARA) in partnership with Catholic Charities & Community Partnership for Families - $70,892 

The presence of Community Health Connectors (CHC’s) will provide access to resources, increase opportunities for health education and provide case management for those with multiple chronic health conditions.  Data will be collected to measure the changes and improvement in personal health care behavior, as well as improved linkages to health care providers to deliver services.  The CHC’s will provide the one-on-one assistance to an individual through family, referral, outreach and linkage to community resources as needed.

• Child Care Mobile Farmer’s Market Emergency Food Bank in partnership with Family Resource & Referral Center, First 5 of San Joaquin & University of California, Cal Fresh Nutrition Education – $50,000

This project will deliver fresh produce (fruits & vegetables) free of charge to 15 child care facilities within Stockton to be used for meals and snacks. Additionally, participating child care staff will be trained on how to incorporate the produce and age-appropriate nutrition education and activities to their preschoolers (ages 3, 4 & 5).  Participating parents/guardians will also be educated on healthy meal preparation and receive weekly fresh produce.

• Early Infant Literacy Project: Read to Me, Stockton! in partnership with Books for Babes, Stockton Unified School District & S. J. County Office of Education - $20,000

Working with partners they will enroll 800 newborns and toddlers to age three in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Approximately 10,000 books will be purchased and sent to those 800 Stockton children for one year with the goal of introducing them and their parents to early literacy activities that will help prepare them for learning when they enter kindergarten.

• Families Connect Project: Reinvent South Stockton California in partnership with Reinvent South Stockton Coalition, San Joaquin County Public Health, Trustbuilder Organization - $90,000

Reinvent South Stockton will partner with community-based organizations to hire local residents who will connect with residents in South Stockton and Midtown Magnolia neighborhoods. They will plan events, engage in community outreach, and refer families to case management services in order to reduce stresses and trauma, allow for attendance and success at work and school and to feel connected to their community and have a support system of care. High risk families and neighborhoods will be prioritized through community partnerships with Stockton Police Department and Stockton Unified School District. 

• ACEing Parenting: San Joaquin County Child Abuse Prevention Council in partnership with San Joaquin Public Health & San Joaquin General Hospital - $22,424

The ACEing Parenting Project Program is intended to gauge the efficacy of a strategy where physicians engage the parents of their minor patients in a discussion about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s). The conversation is prompted by a questionnaire that identifies the ACE’s and Resiliency Score of the parent, and if warranted, links them to resources and services for unaddressed trauma, ultimately resulting in a trauma-informed parent, all with the goal of mitigating the circle of abuse.

The Community Grants Program was established in 1990 to provide funding to community-based organizations that provide services to individuals in need. Since its inception, the program has distributed over $3.4 million in grant funding to deserving nonprofit community benefit organizations with an interest in building healthier communities by improving health and living conditions. St. Joseph Medical Center annually sets aside revenues from operations to fund the community grant awards. 

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About St. Joseph's Medical Center

St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 347 beds, a physician staff of over 600, and more than 2,300 employees. St. Joseph's specializes in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services including neonatal intensive care. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. In FY 2016, St. Joseph's provided over $57 million in charity care, community services, and unreimbursed patient care. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, a system of ancillary care sites, medical foundations, and acute care hospitals serving California, Arizona and Nevada.