2009 CHW Community Grants Program
Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) is pleased to announce the official kick-off of the 2009 CHW Community Grants program for CHW in the East Valley including Chandler Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center (MGMC) on July 27, 2009.
Community Grants Overview: The right resources in the right place at the right time.
We can't change the world by ourselves. Partnering with others who share our vision and values is the only way to bring about real improvements in the healthcare system. Our Community Grants program is one way we are working with others to increase access to quality care for underserved populations. With this program, CHW realizes its mission and enhances the advocacy, social justice and healthier communities’ efforts of its hospitals and religious and community sponsors. CHW seeks to partner with other nonprofit organizations that are working to improve the health status and quality of life in the communities we serve and whose efforts embody CHW’s Core Values.
CHW’s Community Grants program is funded by contributions from its member hospitals. Typically, grants awards range from $5,000 to $25,000 and projects funded must involve collaboration with others. Since this program began in 1990 we have made grant awards to nearly 1,800 projects totaling $27.7 million.
Priorities
The objective of CHW’s Community Grants program is to award grants to nonprofit organizations whose proposals respond to the CHW-East Valley’s Strategic priorities identified in the Community Health Assessment and/or Community Benefit Plan. In addition, programs will be evaluated for the five CHW Community Benefit Principles of serving disenfranchised populations with unmet health needs, primary prevention, seamless continuum of care, community capacity building, and collaborative governance. CHW grant funds are to be used to provide services to underserved populations.
Criteria:
1. Funding up to $25,000. Due to availability of funds, hospitals may reduce this limit.
2. Strict adherence to grant guidelines.
3. Proposals must identify the type of change expected and how and over what time period progress will be measured.
Eligibility:
1. Applicant must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or have a fiscal agent that is a 501(c)(3) organization and capable of administering the project’s funds.
2. The project/program must be a response to the health priorities identified in the local hospital’s Community Health Assessment or Community Benefit Plan.
3. The project to be funded must involve collaboration with other organizations and/or with a CHW hospital.
Timeline
1. Intent to apply due: August 21, 2009
2. Encourage/discourage Notification: September 7, 2009
3. Final Grant Application Due: October 2, 2009
4. Final Grant Approval by CHW Investment Committee: December 2, 2009
CHW in the East Valley – Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona 2009 Initiative
CHW East Valley’s Community Health Assessment and Benefit Plan identified ambulatory sensitive conditions as one of the key health priorities for 2006 – 2010.
2009 Initiative
This year’s grant initiative will support CHW-East Valley’s community partnership and outreach efforts in the form of spiritual, emotional, and/or physical intervention, prevention, and/or management measures for diseases and chronic conditions including diabetes, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, chest pain/heart disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and mental health. Special considerations will also be given to programs focusing directly or indirectly on high risk populations such as children, adolescents, elderly, disabled, and/or mentally ill.
In addition, special consideration will be give to faith-based organizations utilizing their congregational nurses to administer the initiative and those organizations demonstrating the ability to actively partner and collaborate with CHW East Valley hospitals.
Additional Consideration will also be given to:
Chronic Disease: Seven out of the ten leading causes of death in Arizona are attributable to chronic disease. Chronic disease is a leading cause of impaired daily functioning and disability and is the most prevalent, costly and preventable of all health problems.
During calendar year (CY) 2007, CHW–East Valley facilities saw 9,215 patients with heart disease and 6,826 patients with diabetes.
Heart Disease: Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Arizona in 2007. According to 2004 statistics, 13,838 deaths in Arizona were related to heart disease. Hospital discharge data for the same year showed 98,976 cardiovascular related hospitalizations in Arizona, averaging cost of $38,775 per hospitalization for a total cost of $3.4 billion. During CY07, CHW–EV facilities saw 9,215 patients with heart disease, and 12,298 for hypertension.
Diabetes: Estimates of the number of Arizonans diagnosed with diabetes increased nearly 7 percent from 2002 to 2004 to 279,964 individuals. Arizona Hospital Discharge data show 91,723 diabetes related hospitalizations with an average length of stay of 4.7 days. The average cost for diabetes related hospitalizations in 2004 per visit was $26,867 a total for all hospitals of $2.4 billion, second to the cost of cardiovascular disease related hospitalizations. Diabetes accounted for 70.5 percent of the 1,820 discharges with lower extremity amputations in 2004.
Chronic Disease and Mental Health: Chronic illness may be a risk factor for the development of certain behavioral health issues; at the same time, some behavioral health issues may result in the development or worsening of certain health conditions and may lead to more costly and complicated treatments. CHW–East Valley facilities had a higher rate of behavioral health related inpatient admissions for all age groups 18 and over during CY07.
The chronic conditions most frequently identified with behavioral health conditions in both CHW-East Valley facilities during CY07 included diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and arthritis.
Mental Health: Behavioral health (mental health and substance use) issues are increasingly identified as having a significant impact in communities and those who serve them. For a variety of reasons – fragmentations of healthcare, stigma associated with receiving treatment, lack of recognition of symptoms – individuals often do not seek care or do not seek care at the level that is required for treatment of these serious conditions.
There were 54,000 unique individuals living in the CHW–EV service area with an identified behavioral health condition who sought health care (not necessarily for the behavioral health condition) in CY07. Of those, 11,824 were seen at a CHW-East Valley facility. Studies find that among the frequent users of the emergency department (ED), 50 percent reported poor mental health. Additionally, individuals with mental health and substance abuse disorders (co-occurring) have higher rates of ED utilization than those with only mental disorder.
During the Fiscal year 2009, CHW-East Valley facilities clinical social workers provided nearly 5,000 psychiatric evaluations for suicide (ideation, gesture, or attempt), depression, (including various Post Partum Mood disorders) drug and/or other abuse, and other mental health reasons. Over 1,400 were from the emergency rooms and over the highest number of evaluations were from personal pay patients, likely to be underinsured or uninsured.
Although depression is a major cause of mental illness for many who seek care, availability of mental health in-patient and community resources is lacking, creating significant consequences for the individuals seeking help, the community, and health care organizations.
Resource: 2007 Community Needs Assessment for Catholic Healthcare West – East Valley Chandler Regional Medical Center & Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Prepared by ASU Center for Health Information and Research. and CHW East Valley admission and discharge data.
