El Camino Healthcare District awards County $750k for North County services
SAN JOSE – El Camino Healthcare District has awarded Santa Clara County’s hospital system – Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Hospitals and Clinics (SCVMC) – a grant of $750,000, which was acknowledged and accepted today by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
This year, grant funds from El Camino will allow the County’s Valley Homeless Health Program (VHHP) to provide even greater access to primary care behavioral health and dental services to North County residents, particularly those experiencing financial distress, including the uninsured population. The grant funds will support the VHC Sunnyvale Clinic’s effort to promote early identification and intervention for mental health through routine clinical depression screenings, as well as encourage routine dental visits to decrease the number of emergency dental visits. The Sunnyvale clinic serves patients from the North County area and beyond.
“I appreciate the fact that El Camino understands and values the County’s contributions to the health and welfare of our residents,” said County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who Chairs the County’s Health and Hospital Committee. “These funds come at a key time, when we’re battling a worldwide pandemic and the County, including its healthcare system, faces difficult budget decisions. The grant will make it possible to say ‘yes’ to important healthcare services which might otherwise have been at risk.”
Each year the El Camino Healthcare District’s (ECHD) Community Benefit Program provides grants to non-profits and public organizations that serve individuals who live, work or go to school in the District.
El Camino Healthcare District has provided annual grants for primary care and adult dental services at Valley Health Center (VHC) Sunnyvale since 2009. Funding comes from the Community Benefit Health Care Grant Fund.
Last year, SCVMC was awarded the grant to partially support Valley Homeless Healthcare Program’s (VHHP) medical mobile unit increasing access to services at several locations in North County. In addition, the grant award also partially supports services at VHC Sunnyvale’s Dental Clinic, including endodontic services and oral surgery for homeless patients with serious, painful oral health conditions.
“Each year, El Camino Healthcare District’s Community Benefit program funds local organizations working to improve the health and well-being of our community,” says Dan Woods, Chief Executive Officer of El Camino Health. “As a safety-net clinic, Valley Health Center Sunnyvale provides critical dental and mental health services for individuals who are underserved and live, work or go to school within the boundaries of the District. Providing access to increased mental health screenings in a primary care clinic setting will help with early identification and intervention of serious mental health conditions, which is something we are committed to addressing as a Healthcare District.”
“The economic impact of fighting the COVID crisis has led to the most vulnerable among us facing additional financial and health stressors,” said Simitian. “This grant comes at a time when we can certainly put every dollar to good use, providing important dental and mental health care to our low income and homeless community members who otherwise wouldn’t receive the care they need.”
The ongoing partnership with El Camino Healthcare District has allowed Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to reach the most vulnerable population in North County by providing much needed primary care behavioral health and dental services.