Sponsored Institutions - Stories

Santa Cruz, California – In February 2017, Dignity Health Dominican Hospital awarded more than $170,000 in grants through its Community Grants Program to six nonprofit organizations, four of which are described below. Through these grants, Dominican is following the call of the 2016 Enactments to provide care for people who are marginalized and help to create resilient communities. 

Dientes Community Dental Care received $40,000 to connect individuals who are homeless to a dental home, so that lack of dental care doesn’t stand in the way of finding employment, securing housing, and going to school.

Encompass Community Services received $30,000 for Project Bright Start, a program to prevent and address mental health emergencies among adolescents. Its aim is to reduce the stigma attached to mental health issues, enhance capacity for service coordination, and increase parents’ capacity and skill to recognize and address the needs of their children.

Homeless Services Center received $26,000 for the Recuperative Care Center to address the issue of homelessness in Santa Cruz County. It provides health care services and links to community resources for people who are homeless at the conclusion of a hospitalization or emergency room visit.

RotaCare Bay Area received $16,000 for the Santa Cruz RotaCare Free Clinic, to market a program that addresses the health needs of the uninsured, underinsured, and undocumented populations of Santa Cruz County.

Since the early 1990s, community organizations have received nearly $2.5 million in grants from Dominican Hospital to promote the health and wellness of Santa Cruz County. This is done in alignment with the Vision Statement of the Adrian Dominican Sisters to “walk in solidarity with people who are poor and challenge structures that impoverish them.”

Feature photo: A young patient receives dental care from Dientes Community Dental Care, one of the organization to receive a grant from Dignity Health Dominican Hospital.