The El Camino Hospital District board of directors has approved its Fiscal Year 2010 Community Benefit Plan, identifying $4.9 million in grants to be funded from district tax receipts.
The board also approved a contingency fund of approximately $200,000 for additional projects and sponsorships.
The board approved a further $265,000 in community benefit grants and sponsorships from non-hospital district funds, to be spent in the area served by the newly acquired El Camino Hospital Los Gatos.
"The current economic downturn has heightened the economic distress felt by so many in the county, where almost half of all households earned less than was needed to be self-sufficient," said Barbara Avery, director of community benefit for El Camino Hospital. "It's against this backdrop that we developed our FY2010 Community Benefit plan, with the goal of making a significant and lasting improvement in the health of our constituents."
In 2008, the El Camino Hospital Board of Directors substantially increased its community benefit grant commitments, announcing it would allocate approximately $5 million annually from district tax receipts to community health improvement grants for projects in the area that comprises the El Camino Hospital District.
Hospital officials chose programs that address the unmet needs of underserved populations.
"In the history of our hospital district, there's never been a greater need for us to reach out to underserved populations," said Wes Alles, the board's chairman. "With state and local funding for social and health services being cut drastically, agencies and non-profit organizations are struggling to meet ever-increasing needs. We feel a strong commitment to support and expand initiatives that reach those who otherwise might not have access to care."
The hospital's community benefit grants include a partnership with Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to support new services at its Sunnyvale Clinic, including adult primary care, dental services, pharmacy, lab and radiology services. This $1.2 million investment is the largest grant for FY2010.
"El Camino Hospital's community benefit grant makes it possible for Valley Medical Center to implement our innovative, award-winning, patient-centered care model," said Margo Maida, director of primary care services for the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System. "It will provide a medical 'home' for low-income people who are underinsured and living in the El Camino Hospital District service area, providing them with increased access to primary care services integrated with behavioral health and dental care. Given the severe cutbacks in funding at all levels, launching this program would not have been possible without their generous funding."
El Camino Hospital is an acute care, not-for profit and locally-governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. Key medical specialty focuses include cancer care, heart and vascular, neuroscience, genomic medicine, orthopedic and spine and women's health.