2010 CHW Community Grants Program
Catholic Healthcare West is pleased to announce the official kick-off of the 2010 CHW Community Grants Program for CHW – East Valley, including Chandler Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and Mercy Gilbert Medical Center (MGMC), on July 26, 2010.
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 $50,000 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 proposal responds to the CHW East Valley’s Strategic priorities identified in the 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 $50,000. Grants over $25,000 are for a twenty-four month period of time. 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 hospitals Community Health Assessment or Community benefit plan.
3. Organization must identify the type of change expected, and how and over what time period progress will be measured.
4. The project to be funded must involve collaboration with other organizations and/or with a CHW hospital.
Timeline
1. Intent to apply due: August 20, 2010
2. Invitation/Declination for full proposal notification: By September 13, 2010
3. Final Grant Application Due: October 8, 2010
4. Final Grant Approval by CHW Investment Committee: December 1, 2010
CHW in the East Valley – Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona 2010 Initiative
CHW (Catholic Healthcare West) East Valley’s Community Health Assessment and Benefit Plan identified ambulatory sensitive conditions and chronic disease as key health priorities for 2006 – 2010. In addition, mental health and childhood obesity are increasing concerns with limited health care resources.
2010 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, childhood obesity, and mental health. 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.
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 2007, CHW–East Valley facilities saw 9,215 patients with heart disease and 6,826 patients with diabetes.
Each year CHW –East Valley facilities see over 9,000, patients with heart disease and 6,000 patients with diabetes. Many patients are readmitted due to lack of resources to manager their condition.
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. Each year, CHW - East Valley facilities saw 12,000 patients for hypertension.
Diabetes: Estimates of the number of Arizonans diagnosed with diabetes increased nearly seven 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. CHW EV facilities receive over 3,000 referrals a year.
Underserved populations who suffer from a chronic disease, and have limited access to education, medical care, and support, are more likely to have less control of their chronic disease leading to increased admission and readmission. In addition, the quality of life for these individuals is greatly affected. Effective community-based prevention programs are of significant importance in provision of resources to this population.
Mental Health: Behavioral health (mental health and substance use) issues are increasingly identified as having 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.
During fiscal year 2010, CHW - East Valley facility clinical social workers provided nearly 5,186 psychiatric evaluations for suicide, depression (including various Post Partum Mood disorders) drug and/or other abuse, and other mental health reasons. Of those evaluations, 3,111 were from the emergency rooms with 794 for uninsured or underinsured individuals.
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.
Childhood Obesity: Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged six to 11 years increased from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 19.6 percent in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5 percent to 18.1 percent.
According to the CDC website (2010), Childhood obesity continues to be a leading public health concern that disproportionately affects low-income and minority children. Outlined in the article Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children --- United States (2009), consequences of childhood obesity include development of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, and sleep apnea during adolescence or adulthood.
The article further defines the findings from the CDC's Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System. The prevalence among low-income children increased from 12.4 – 14.6 between 1998 and 2008.
Reduction in childhood obesity requires effective prevention strategies that include physical activity and healthy diet for families, child care centers, and communities. Education along with prevention strategies should create the behavioral changes needed to decrease child obesity for children.
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. Obesity Prevalence Among Low-Income, Preschool-Aged Children --- United States, 1998—2008.
