Supports Local Non-Profit Organizations that Serve Low-Income and Underserved People
August 30, 2016, Mission Viejo, CA – Mission Hospital announced today that it has awarded $1.3 million in grants over the course of six months to 12 local non-profit organizations that provide services to south Orange County’s vulnerable and underserved people. These grants are part of the hospital’s healing ministry, and its commitment to improving the health and quality of the lives of the people in the communities that it serves.
“For more than 40 years, Mission Hospital has met the daily and emergency needs of south Orange County’s most vulnerable,” said Christy Cornwall, director of Community Benefit. “This year’s grants further strengthen programs that address the prevention of substance use among youths, and provide mental health, urgent care and housing support services that align with our core focus on creating healthy communities.”
Programs that received grants include:
- Laguna Beach Community Clinic will increase access to walk-in urgent medical non-emergency services and government-funded care six days a week for those living in the immediate community.
- South Orange County’s Friendship Shelter’s Permanent Support Housing program provides emergency and rehabilitation shelter to dozens of local community members each year. The grant supports this initiative through temporary housing furnishings, overnight staffing and additional support services, including mental health.
- The Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach will use the funding to support the 2016 SMART Moves program that teaches youth how to resist alcohol, tobacco and other drugs through curriculum that is grounded in mentoring and critical-thinking habits.
- Community Health Initiative of Orange County delivers culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach, education, enrollment and case management services to increase access to care for local residents through Certified Enrollment Counselors (CEC). The Mission Hospital grant will support the salaries of two full-time CEC dedicated staff and educational workshops for south Orange County residents.
- Family Assistance Ministries supports Mission Hospital’s mental health initiatives by providing personalized case management services and referrals to professionals for those who are currently or are at risk of becoming homeless. The grant will staff salaries to accommodate two new satellite program locations in Dana Point and San Juan Capistrano.
- The National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, Orange County provides programming and educational resources to local residents to help eliminate alcohol, tobacco and drug related problems throughout the county. The organization will use the Mission Hospital grant to support initiatives to reduce substance use acceptability among parents while also empowering youth to make good choices.
- Western Youth Services will use the grant funding to improve mental and behavioral healthcare access for vulnerable and hard-to-reach children.
“Our goal is to extend our healing ministry through the good work of partner organizations like the recipients of our grants, enabling these service providers to provide compassionate care to the south county’s most in-need populations,” said Cornwall.
Mission Hospital’s core values include extending its healing ministry and commitment to the community through the support of several community benefit programs. A cornerstone of the work done is through partnerships with non-profit organizations to address health concerns among low-income and underserved people. Mission Hospital dedicates more than $4 million annually for outreach efforts that directly impact and serve the local community.
About Mission Hospital
As a part of the St. Joseph Hoag Health network of care, Mission Hospital was founded in Mission Viejo in 1971 and has since grown to a two-campus facility with 552 beds and approximately 2,500 employees. Mission Hospital, a ministry of St. Joseph Health, has been serving the greater needs of the community for more than 40 years, improving the quality of life in the communities it serves in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo is an acute care, full-service facility providing advanced health care services and diagnostic care to south Orange County and is the only designated trauma center in South Orange County. Mission Hospital Laguna Beach (MHLB) provides South Orange County coastal communities with 24-hour emergency and intensive care as well as medical-surgical/telemetry services. Mission Hospital offers specialty care in cardiovascular, neuroscience and spine, orthopedics, women’s services, urology, mental health & wellness, head and neck and other key specialties. CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital is a 48-bed facility that is the area’s only dedicated pediatric hospital for more than two decades. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence, Mission Hospital has received numerous awards and recognition for its high quality of care. For more information, visit www.mission4health.com.
