HCF awards more than $870,000 in grants

by KHI News Service

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City recently awarded more than $870,000 in applicant-defined grants to 16 nonprofit organizations.

“We are proud to support the work these organizations are doing to remove barriers to health care for the most vulnerable populations in our service area,” said Dr. Bridget McCandless, president and chief executive officer of the foundation.

Recipients, amounts and project descriptions for grants awarded in February and March:

• Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, $30,000, to provide in-home mental health counseling services to the families of homicide victims.

• Amethyst Place, $65,407, for supportive housing programs, including education and technology, life skills and parenting, mentoring, and family support therapist.

• Child Abuse Prevention Association, $75,000, to provide counseling program support staff.

• Child Protection Center Inc., $63,537, to support the Intake and Collaborative Family Support Expansion Program for victims of child abuse and their families.

• Coalition of Hispanic Women Against Cancer, $40,000, to increase awareness and knowledge among Latinas about breast and cervical cancer prevention, early detection/screenings and available community resources, and to provide follow-up to ensure proper care.

• Developing Potential Inc., $74,924, to support a full-time nurse to work with adults with developmental disabilities.

• Kansas City Free Eye Clinic, $23,100, to support a full-time executive director who will provide administrative and organizational services so more low-income, uninsured and homeless clients will have access to eye care.

• Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission Inc., $56,250, to support housing services for returning offenders on parole in Jackson County.

• KU Health Partners Inc., $75,000, to support a program using a KC CARE Clinic community health worker to promote transitions between KU Hospital Emergency Department and Silver City Health Center.

• Medical Society of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties Foundation Inc., $40,000, to provide operating support for this organization that increases access to specialty care services.

• Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, $65,000, to begin offering services that allow foster children with severe mental and behavioral problems to transition to a forever home with a foster, adoptive or relative care provider.

• Miles of Smiles Inc., $45,000, to support a move to a larger facility that will allow an additional operatory chair so restorative dental procedures can be provided to more patients.

• Pets For Life Inc., $7,500, to recruit, train, test and certify volunteer/pet teams to serve more individuals at additional facilities.

• SAVE Foundation Inc., $75,000, care personnel who work with people in SAVE housing programs who are zero or low income and living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness and-or a substance abuse disorder.

• Secondary Trauma Resource Center, $70,000, to ensure sustainability and service delivery to social service and health care agencies.

• Swope Health Services, $67,236, to support a bilingual certified application counselor to serve Wyandotte County residents.

The foundation began grantmaking in 2005 and has invested almost $200 million into its service area of Kansas City, Mo.; Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; and Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri.

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