Emergency funds to help continued responses to the COVID-19 public health crisis are being distributed to three north county nonprofits by the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County. A total of $35,000 was raised by the foundation, boosted by a $20,000 matching grant from Mark Freed of Talon Creek Foundation.
The grants are unrestricted and will supplement services and clinic work, partially funded by MediCal and Medicare. Individual grants included $24,000 to the Alliance Medical Center, $6,000 to Cloverdale’s Alexander Valley Healthcare Center and $5,000 to Reach For Home, the local homeless advocacy, emergency housing and health services nonprofit.
The health-related organizations are being impacted economically during the shelter-in-place slowdown of the local economy at a time their services are facing increased demands. A portion of the emergency grants will be aimed at increasing telemedicine capabilities and underwriting staff and volunteer’s transportation costs for extra food deliveries.
“ The rapid deployment of these funds will allow healthcare workers and homeless service providers on the frontlines to remain focused on caring those who need help the most, “ said Kim Bender, executive director of the healthcare foundation.
“We have over a 1,000 patients with chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and respiratory conditions who need careful monitoring,” said Joan Churchill, CEO of Alliance Medical Center, which has clinics in Healdsburg and Windsor. This grant will allow Alliance to care for our most vulnerable patients over the long term. We could not make this leap forward into telemedicine without this gift from the Healthcare Foundation.”
The Healthcare Foundation anticipates the health needs of the community changing as the global pandemic continues. To continue to help support the community in general wellbeing and awareness as the pandemic and associated shelter-in-place regulations continue, the Healthcare Foundation will offer a free Zoom panel discussion with local government and healthcare leaders from 4-5 p.m. on Friday, May 8. Panelists will include State Senator Mike McGuire, Assemblyman Jim Wood, Dr. Gary Greene, of Sutter medical and Susannah Labbe, medical director at the Alliance Medical Center.
