2021 Community Health Benefit Fund grant recipients announced

Thirteen nonprofits to receive grants in support of mental health, access to health care and substance use disorder
By:
June 2, 2021

 

Yampa Valley Medical Center Foundation is pleased to announce thirteen nonprofits are recipients of funding from the 2021 grant cycle of the Community Health Benefit Fund.

To qualify, organizations had to be an existing 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, located within Routt and/or Moffat counties and align to the funding priorities of mental health, access to health care and substance use disorder. Twenty applications were received and reviewed, with 15 grants totaling $325,000 awarded to 13 nonprofits.

The 2021 grant recipients are:

“We are excited to partner with this year’s grant recipients as we further invest in the health of our local communities,” said Karen Schneider, executive director of the Foundation. “We’re extremely fortunate to have such dedicated nonprofits working to address mental health, access to health care and substance use disorder. The programs focus on children, adults, preventive services, mentorship, breaking down cultural barriers and more.”

Multiple recipients are working on initiatives that touch on more than one of the funding priorities. Of the fifteen grants awarded, twelve are connected to mental health initiatives.

“We are thrilled to partner with UCHealth to offer mental health services and behavioral support for our students,” said Michael Girodo, head of school at Steamboat Montessori. “This grant allows us to provide equitable health services for our students. All students in Routt County will now have proactive access to mental health services.”

Partners in Routt County will use its grant to support increased staffing, mentor recruitment and training.

“Mentors and staff provide essential social and emotional support as a prevention and intervention strategy,” said Michelle Petix, executive director of Partners in Routt County. “We’re grateful to be a grant recipient, which will allow us to continue addressing the growing needs of our community youth and the mental health impacts of the pandemic and social justice issues.”

Grants from the Community Health Benefit Fund (CHBF), the name given to funds the Foundation received from UCHealth, are split equally between two purposes:

  • Annual grant funds for the advancement of health in the communities served by YVMC, including population health initiatives.
  • Special initiatives for the benefit of programs, services and capital projects within or related to YVMC operations and activities.

The annual grant funds have been invested to ensure funding is available to support the community and its population health initiatives in perpetuity.

The special initiatives funds are earmarked for larger projects that have the opportunity to effect lasting change in the communities served by YVMC.

The grant cycle will open again on Jan. 1, 2022, following the determination of focus areas based on strategic initiatives set by the Board of Trustees of UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center, results of the community health needs assessment and input and feedback from YVMC’s medical staff.

Community Benefits Report UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center Yampa Valley Medical Center Foundation

About the author

Lindsey Reznicek is a communications specialist at UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She has spent the last ten years working in marketing and communications in health care, an industry she never considered but one to which she's contributed through her work in media relations, executive messaging and internal communications. She considers it an honor to interact with patients and write about their experiences; it’s what keeps her coming back to work each day.

A native of Nebraska, Lindsey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, with a focus on public relations, from the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University – she bleeds purple.

She could see a Broadway musical every week, is a huge animal lover, enjoys a good shopping trip, and likes spending time in the kitchen. Lindsey and her husband have two daughters and enjoy hiking in the summer and skiing all winter long.