“At St. David’s Community Health Foundation, we make the promise of a better life,” said Earl Maxwell, CEO of St. David’s Community Health Foundation. “We keep this promise through education, research, and community partnerships, all with the goal of helping to provide health care to all Central Texans. Our partners who receive our funding in this grant cycle will put it to good use, reaching out to the underserved, uninsured, and those in need.”

The majority of grant awards announced today provide a 29 percent increase in funding toward the operating costs in area clinics for community-based primary health care for all ages. These include prenatal care, immunization programs, and disease management services. Austin’s elderly are also priority, with a 77 percent increase in funding over last year. Programs targeting such special populations as children and cancer patients receive an 82 percent increase in funding.

“St. David’s Community Health Foundation is fortunate to be in a position to increase the number of dollars flowing back into the Central Texas community,” said C.W. Hetherly, chairman of the Foundation’s board. “As our hospital system and medical partnerships grow, so does our ability to further our mission of increasing access to health care for everyone.”

Eleven of the nonprofits are first-time recipients of the Foundation’s grants, and 22 of the 24 previous recipients saw an increase in support. Last year, seven agencies were first-time recipients among 23 total agencies.

Among the agencies receiving their first grants from St. David’s Community Health Foundation are the Texas Ramp Project, which provides free wheelchair ramps for disabled residents who cannot afford them, and The Care Communities, which provides volunteer support to people living with serious illnesses to help them continue to live independently.

“This grant will enable The Care Communities to grow our volunteer Care Team program by 50 percent,” said executive director Carol Johnson. “We will be able to hire an additional person to help with volunteer recruitment and training.”

Enabling volunteerism and client independence will be a benefit for the grant to the Texas Ramp Project as well, according to executive director John Laine. “Our Austin project will use the funding provided by St. David’s Community Health Foundation to expand our capabilities to train and equip volunteer construction teams, to upgrade our website to include a secure area for referrals and a database, and to purchase lumber. We are so pleased to be able to partner with St. David’s Community Health Foundation as we seek to assist the disabled to lead more independent lives.”

The Foundation grants also enable agencies to have a steady, reliable partner in their health-care efforts. Such long-term partners as Lone Star Circle of Care in Georgetown include Foundation funding in their annual planning.

“The strategic partnership and generous financial support we receive from St. David’s Community Health Foundation has been the crucial cornerstone in our efforts to build a firm and sustainable platform to develop our ongoing mission,” said Pete Perialas, chief executive officer of Lone Star Circle of Care. “Funding from the Foundation provides us with the ability to launch and expand key programs our community desperately needs, including pre-natal and OB-GYN care for uninsured women, disease management and integrated mental health care for chronically ill patients with no medical home and no insurance, services for senior citizens, and much-needed dental care for children and adults who have no other source for it.

“St. David’s Community Health Foundation keeps us in a position to provide reliable, affordable, and effective primary care to tens of thousands of the uninsured and underserved in Central Texas.”

The mission of St. David's Community Health Foundation is to improve access to health care for Central Texans. For more information, visit www.sdchf.org.