Grants amounting to $364,145 awarded by Healthcare District

At the July 11 board meeting of the Fallbrook Healthcare District, seven grants were presented to health-related organizations to provide care to residents of the community, bringing the total number of grants bestowed in the 2007-2008 fiscal year by the district to eleven, for a total of $364,145.

Fallbrook Family Health

Fallbrook Family Health Center was presented with $75,000 to assist with uncompensated care for uninsured or underinsured individuals. A review of the operation by Director Hollis Moyse indicated that coordination of the center’s activities are “well defined,” leading to his recommendation of full funding of the grant application at the June 11 board meeting.

Director Moyse also reviewed an additional $75,000 grant application for assistance in providing behavioral health services at Fallbrook Family Health Center. These services include psychiatric care, counseling and related care. Moyse reviewed the program and confirmed that all questions were satisfactorily answered in order for the grant to be approved.

North County Fire

After a review by Director Roy Hiscock, a $10,000 grant was approved by the District for North County Fire Protection District for installation of 30 cabinets for automated external defibrillator (AED) units in the Fallbrook community. The cabinets are to protect the AED units, some of which have been purchased as a result of a previous grant by the District. The units are located at fire stations and throughout the community, in some churches and businesses. Director Dan Goldberg excused himself from this action item due to his employment with North County Fire.

‘Think First’ program

Funds totaling $23,975 were approved by District board members to support the ‘Think First’ program designed to provide education to local youth in order to encourage them to make sound decisions with safety in mind. The program also includes the distribution of children’s booster seats (for vehicles) to qualified needy families. Director Hiscock recommended that funds be granted to this group, with an additional recommendation that additional (outside) funding should be pursued as well.

Smiles Project

The Smiles Project, a dental health endeavor, which has now combined with the CATCH program, designed to reduce the risk of diabetes, was awarded $60,920. Director Goldberg reported that after meeting with individuals involved in both focuses, there will be seven performance goals outlined relating to the grant that address prevention of obesity, reducing the risk of diabetes and providing dental screenings and access to care for District youth and the needy.

Fallbrook Food Pantry

The Fallbrook Food Pantry was awarded a $20,000 grant to continue providing food to hundreds of people in need in the community. Director Milt Davies reviewed the operation for consideration and, together with Director Gordon Tinker, recommended full funding.

Palomar Family Counseling

Based on the success this program has had with the counseling of school-age children and youth, Directors Davies and Tinker recommended full funding of the $68,750 grant the organization applied for.

Earlier this year (February 7), the board approved the following grants based on Letter of Intent documentation:

Fallbrook Hospital Auxiliary

The Healthcare District awarded a $7,500 grant to the Fallbrook Hospital Auxiliary to pay for operating expenses of the auxiliary’s courier service. Operating expenses include those associated with insurance, gas and maintenance.

Fallbrook Senior Citizens Service Club

For the 2007-2008 funding cycle, the District’s board approved a $10,000 grant to help purchase food for the congregate lunch program and the home-delivered meal program.

People to People

A grant of $5,000 was awarded to People to People free employment service to support the salary and operating expenses of the Home Care Coordinator of programs including companion care, caregiving, respite care and live-in caregiving.

Trauma Intervention Program

The board of directors awarded a grant of $8,000 for the year to the program to assist with expenses in communications, insurance, client resources, national dues and staffing for the Fallbrook TIP crisis team.

After dispensing the grant funds, the District possesses more than $5.7 million that is invested in interested-bearing, government-protected accounts. This includes the $1,470,058.53 in property taxes collected in the district for healthcare purposes from July 2006 through June 2007.

It was reported that Director Dan Goldberg, who serves as the chairperson of the Long Range Planning Committee, is working with the Camden Group and Community Health Systems (the company that currently operates Fallbrook Hospital under a lease) to enable sharing of data in the development of a strategic, long-range plan for the District. Much discussion has evolved over the past few years about how funds should be shared between present-day (grant) needs while saving for future healthcare needs of the community.