continued fromTCWF Grantees Address Important Health Needs in Increasingly Diverse Orange CountySince beginning the program in 1994, gang-related crimes and violence have decreased, and the Vietnamese community is recognizing the need to work with law enforcement and the justice system, agencies they often formerly feared, Nguyen said.
“No one else is reaching these youth who may wind up in jail or, worse, in the morgue,” said Michael Balaoing, TCWF program officer. “Our investment in this underserved community is an effort to keep young people alive.” Another TCWF grant dedicated to improving children’s health was awarded last June to the Irvine Public Schools Foundation (IPSF), which is using a two-year, $120,000 grant to install a computer system to record, maintain and access student health data. “With 23,000 students in 33 schools and ongoing cuts in our nursing staff, it has been very difficult to track and access all of the vital student health information using a paper-based system,” said Greg Bradbard, IPSF executive director. With the grant, which supplements funding from the Irvine Health Foundation, the IPSF has purchased Nurses’ Choice 2000, a software program that will enable the district to computerize all student health data. In addition, health clerks will be hired to input data and maintain the system, and training will be provided for two staff members who can train others. “An adequate data system is as important to schools as it is to any other health care organization,” said Gary Nelson, TCWF senior program officer. “By funding this piece of infrastructure, we’re able to increase the probability for sustaining the program and making a real difference in the health of this school-aged population.” In fast-growing San Juan Capistrano, usually associated with the historic mission and the affluence migrating to South Orange County, half of the residents are in poverty, 80 percent of whom are Latino. TCWF awarded a two-year, $60,000 grant to Catholic Charities of Orange County to support its Community Health Enrichment Collaborative (CHEC), which provides health promotion services in three San Juan Capistrano neighborhoods. CHEC opened a two-story health and wellness center in downtown San Juan Capistrano in November 2000. The new facility has space for health education and screening, parent education and preventive services that are provided in collaboration with area health and social service organizations.
“The real power behind our efforts is our [28-member] Neighborhood Health Committee, which sets our priorities and develops the strategies for carrying out the plans,” said Carmen Namenek, CHEC coordinator. The CHEC Advisory Council tackles everything from distributing health education materials and facilitating workshops to developing safe and healthy places for children to play. More than 440 volunteers work with the Neighborhood Health Committee to disseminate these health messages. As a result, health-related services are becoming more available, a health care resource manual has been hand-delivered to 2,000 families, and a variety of community events have brought health-related information to thousands of area residents. “The key to helping these underserved communities is to empower them to advocate for the services they need,” Namenek said. “Their presence is becoming much more visible in Orange County, and we must have the resources to serve them.” Whether it is Asian men, Vietnamese youth, low-income students or Latino families, underserved communities are growing within Orange County, and it is a pattern being repeated throughout California. With grants such as those highlighted, TCWF hopes to strengthen the ability of nonprofit organizations to address the changing health needs of Californians as these demographic shifts take place.
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Winter 2000/2001
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Pooled fund for school clinics Male-focused teen pregnancy prevention 2000 California Peace Prize awardees Health insurance for low-wage workers
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