St. Joseph Health has announced awarding more than $337,000 dollars to eight non profit organizations around the Brazos Valley to enhance community health.
The regional grants are part of $1.5 million dollars given in Texas by St. Joseph’s parent company, CommonSpirit, to improve access to care, mental health services, preventative practices, and chronic disease management.
Recipients includes the Brazos Valley Food Bank, Twin City Mission, and United Way of the Brazos Valley.
Additional information from St. Joseph Health:
St. Joseph Health, a member of CommonSpirit, recently awarded $337,500 in Community Health Improvement grants to eight nonprofit organizations across the Brazos Valley. These grants are part of CommonSpirit’s broader Community Health Improvement grant program, which is contributing nearly $1.5 million across the Texas ministry. The funding will support initiatives aimed at enhancing community health through improved access to care, mental health services, preventive practices, and chronic disease management. The awarded grants will fund projects planned for 2025.
Michael Bilton, System Senior Director for Community Health and Community Benefit at CommonSpirit, says “we strive to be intentional and strategic in our community outreach, partnerships and philanthropic giving. It is important for our hospitals to use their resources in ways that help improve high priority, locally-relevant health issues. These grants are one example of that.” Bilton also commented on the value of working with community organizations, stating “the grant program reflects a commitment to partnering with the communities we serve, and to stimulating collaboration among others. Grant applications must include collaborating partner organizations helping to deliver services, and not be solely about one agency’s work.”
The grant recipients were selected based on a rigorous review process that prioritized community needs and measurable outcomes. The priorities were identified in St. Joseph Health’s most recent community health needs assessment.
This year’s Brazos Valley recipients include:
● Brazos Valley Food Bank: Receiving funding for their “Screen and Intervene” program, which trains healthcare clinic staff to screen patients for food insecurity, and their “BackPack Program,” providing weekly food bags to low-income children. The Food Bank serves Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson, and Washington Counties.
● The Prenatal Clinic: A long-standing partner of St. Joseph Health since 1985, The Prenatal Clinic will use the grant to expand access to prenatal care and extend services to one year postpartum, aiming to reduce maternal mortality rates.
● The Rose: This organization will expand access to breast cancer screening, diagnostics and treatment services for women regardless of their ability to pay.
● Twin City Mission: The grant will fund transportation assistance to medical appointments for the homeless population, reducing reliance on emergency room services for non-emergency situations.
● United Way of the Brazos Valley – Ride2Health: This program will continue to provide affordable non-emergency medical transportation services for low-income individuals and families.
● A Hopeful Harvest: A Hopeful Harvest will use the funding to transition from a mobile food pantry to a brick-and-mortar location, enhancing access to healthy food and fostering community volunteerism.
● Health for All: This organization will expand medication therapy management, dental services, and social determinant screenings, while establishing a medical home for frequent emergency department users. Additional initiatives include flu shot clinics and a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.
● Project Unity: Project Unity will leverage a Community Health Worker model to support individuals facing mental health challenges during second pregnancies and chronic disease management, addressing social determinants of health such as mental health resources, food security, housing, and transportation.
“St. Joseph Health has a long-standing commitment to strengthening the health of our communities through collaboration. These grants represent our ongoing partnership with organizations on the front lines, working to address critical health needs and improve access to care for all,” said Erin Marietta, Vice President of Operations for St. Joseph Health.
