Over $40,000 Awarded for Community Health Programs

Three community health programs in Half Moon Bay and one in Pescadero were among 36 nonprofit organizations in San Mateo County that received funding from Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit Grants Program, the health care provider announced on Wednesday.

More than 100 organizations applied for over $600,000 in available funds. Awards granted to local organizations totaled $44,500.

The grantees are the , which operates on the campus of in Half Moon Bay; the , which provides comprehensive health care for seniors in downtown Half Moon Bay; Rotacare, a project of the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club which provides weekly access to free health care; and , a community-based organization which serves farmworkers and the low income in the South Coast areas of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar and San Gregorio.

“This funding will help provide a positive impact on our communities’ health,” said Linda Jensen, RN, Vice President and Area Manager for Kaiser Permanente's San Mateo area.

“Partnering with community-based organizations is one way we help transform neighborhoods and communities into healthier places to live, work, and play,” she said.

Details of the Half Moon Bay and Pescadero projects are as follows:

Organization

Amount

Project                         

The HEAT Program at the Boys and Girls Club is focused on providing opportunities for local youth to exercise and practice healthy eating habits after the school day.

"Many working families do not have the time after work to play with their kids and offer a nutritious snack but at the Club we can ensure their success," said Anna McDevitt, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside. "We provide a reliable place for many underserved families — families who work many jobs and are struggling...here at the Club they can rely on a consistent place for the children to get help with homework, eat a healthy snack, and be physically active."

The $10,000 awarded to the Coastside Adult Day Health Center will go towards a program targeted towards its clients (and the caregivers of those clients) with dementia, according to Janie James, Executive Director.

Funds awarded to Rotacare will go towards supplying free medical care during its weekly clinics. Care is provided at the clinic of Half Moon Bay Rotarian .

Residents living in the South Coast communities of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio often do not have access to health care, or the support to determine health care programs they might be eligible for, according to Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of Puente. In addition, many do not have access to transportation or child care to attend doctor's appointments outside the South Coast community. Funding will support Puente's ongoing efforts to enroll local clients in health care services and support participants in their effort to utilize services through programs and resources based at Puente.