The GroupHealth Foundation, which supports GroupHealth in providing care to members and building a healthier community, has awarded $300,000 in community grants to organizations that have innovative programs that provide access to preventative health services. The grants are thanks to the foundation’s year-end giving.
The 2016 grant recipients included Asotin County Health District, Washington Healthcare Access Alliance, American Cancer Society — Great West Division, Snohomish Health District, Planned Parenthood, Immunization Action Coalition of the Inland NW, Seattle King County Public Health and Within Reach.
The grant to Within Reach supports the GroupHealth Foundation’s engagement across all of the organizations to capture and share what works, and continue informing how organizations, local governments and philanthropic entities work with communities to improve health. Both the Group Health Foundation and Within Reach share the goal of increasing the rate of immunization against HPV, which has been shown to dramatically reduce the rate of cervical cancer and protect against other types of cancer.
“We are proud to support some of those who have demonstrated their ability to create high-impact, replicable programs to serve people locally and share their learnings statewide,” said Grace Chien, member of the Group Health Foundation Board of Directors.
More than 6,000 donors contribute to the Group Health Foundation, including patients, staff, corporations, foundations and charitable organizations.
Supporting preventative health care plays a large role in keeping the community healthy, as it helps patients avoid illnesses and the medical bills that go along with them. Improving community health is also key element of the Triple Aim of health care, which is at the core of WSHA’s work.
Click here to read more from the GroupHealth Foundation. (Tim Pfarr)