NORCAL Group Foundation Awards First Grants

February 1, 2018 by matray

The NORCAL Group Foundation, dedicated to improving healthcare in local communities, announces its inaugural group of grant recipients.

Seven organizations have been awarded funding for initiatives and programs that support any of three critical healthcare areas: patient care, patient safety and physician wellness. The seven recipients are: •    Anchorage Project Access (Anchorage, Alaska), a physician-led volunteer network that serves low-income and uninsured Alaskans, received a grant to support Anchorage Project Access, which provides low-income, uninsured adults primary care and dental services. •    Asian Pacific Health Care Venture, Inc. (Los Angeles, Calif.) was awarded a grant to support their Caregiver Support Group and workshops for managing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The programs are presented through their wellness center that provides comprehensive healthcare services to more than 14,000 patients who speak limited English and are at or below 200% of Federal poverty level. •    California Public Protection and Public Health (Fresno, Calif.), which provides physicians risk monitoring to ensure patient safety and training on physician wellness topics for respective practices and facilities, received a grant to support a series of statewide- training sessions on physician wellness and combatting physician burnout. •    Community Service, Education and Research fund of the SEDMS (Sacramento, Calif.) was awarded a grant to support training opportunities for the SMART Medical Clearance program. This program, created by the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society, is designed to standardize clearance protocol for psychiatric patients in emergency departments. •    Project Angel Food (Los Angeles, Calif.), the only non-profit in Southern California providing free meals and nutrition consultations for people living with critical illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and renal failure, received a grant to expand its services. Funding will help grow the program which currently serves more than 2,100 clients and delivers over 550,000 meals annually. •    The San Diego County Medical Society Foundation (San Diego, Calif.) received a grant to support Project Access, which provides low-income, uninsured adults primary and specialty care services for disabilities and potentially life-threatening conditions. Community health activities provided through this program include free immunizations, blood pressure screening, breast screening and mammography, and health education. •    San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium (San Francisco, Calif.) received a grant for its Street Outreach Services (SOS) program, a mobile medical clinic that brings urgent and preventative medical care to homeless at various locations. They connect patients to primary and specialized care, mental health and substance abuse services, benefits and housing programs, and more. Program is staffed by physicians, nurses, outreach workers and volunteers. “We are extremely proud to support such worthy organizations and programs that enhance patient and physician wellness in our communities,” said Joy Corso, president of the NORCAL Group Foundation. “NORCAL Mutual has a 40-plus-year legacy of giving and advocacy in the communities we serve, and the Foundation further strengthens our commitment and support of the healthcare community.” The NORCAL Group Foundation will open its next application cycle in March 2018. For information on the Foundation’s grant application process and eligibility, visit www.norcalgroupfoundation.org.