St. Mary's Medical Center Grants Fund Programs at Four San Francisco Nonprofits

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center has awarded $110,000 in grants to four San Francisco nonprofit organizations, including programs for seniors, people with chronic conditions and specific help for the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.

The grants continue St. Mary's strong tradition of providing aid to underserved populations and reflect the hospital's commitment to kindness through charity, advocacy and compassion. The grants are part of the Dignity Health Community Grants program. Together with Dignity Health – Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, St. Mary's has awarded over $3 million to more than 200 projects since the grants program began in 1990.

"The Community Grants Program is one of the most visible expressions of our Mission," said Brother George Cherrie, Vice President of Mission and Community Services. "An objective of this program is to award grants to nonprofit organizations whose proposals respond to the health needs identified in our Community Benefit Plan, providing services to underserved populations, such as the economically poor, women and children or other disenfranchised populations."

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

• The Arthur Coleman Community Health Foundation, which aims to help eliminate health disparities in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood through free programs in health education, lifestyle support and chronic disease prevention and management.

  "The Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood is a part of San Francisco that is medically underserved and is often forgotten about," said Pat Coleman, Executive Director of the Arthur Coleman Community Health Foundation. "The thing I really appreciate about Dignity Health is that we share the same motivation, that people should be able to access healthcare with dignity and also with humankindness."

• Self-Help for the Elderly, which provides Alzheimer's care, employment training and other health and wellness programs for seniors.
  
• The Shanti Project, providing peer support to enhance the quality of life for persons living with life-threatening or chronic illnesses.
  
• Northern California Presbyterian Homes & Services, which offers affordable housing and community service programs for seniors.

St. Mary's community grants were awarded at a breakfast event on Feb. 13 at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel. Overall, Bay Area nonprofits received $485,000 from four Dignity Health hospitals – Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City and Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz.

About St. Mary's Medical Center

Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital that has been caring for the people of the San Francisco since 1857. Located across from Golden Gate Park, it is longest continual running hospital in San Francisco. St. Mary's is home to the nation's first digital cardiac catheterization laboratory and has pioneered spine surgery like the X-Stop for the treatment of spinal stenosis. In 2014, St. Mary's was recognized as one of the Top 100 Orthopedic Programs nationally by Becker's Hospital Review and is a Certified Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. In 2011, St. Mary's opened a state-of-the-art Cancer Center, offering the full-range of oncology, radiation and imaging services, which is the only hospital in San Francisco with seven accreditations from the American College of Radiology.  Beyond clinical care, St. Mary's is committed to furthering the healing ministry, and to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to the community we serve. For more information, please call 415-668-1000 or visit www.stmarysmedicalcenter.org.

SOURCE Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center