Healthcare district reviews budget, grant applications, selects awardees

FALLBROOK - In the Fallbrook Healthcare District’s (FHD) application cycle for Grant Year 2011-2012, there were 22 applicants requesting a cumulative total of slightly over $698,300.

All applicants presented programs worthy of consideration and of funding. In the initial phase, at the FHD board meeting in April, one request was declined as being more research-based than a program, but was invited to submit a grant request in the future with defined program outlines.

Nine programs were funded on basis of their Request for Proposal (RFP) with full documentation of their program, goals, time-line and budget. Each of them submitted requests of $10,000 or under in accord with criteria of the District. Eleven RFP applicants were invited to submit full application requests.

The eleven applicants were advised by the board to re-consider the amount requested and reduce their grant application budget by 10 to 15 percent. Nearly all of them complied and submitted reduced funding requests. This was a difficult task as each of the applicants was experiencing increased demands for services while funding sources have declined.

Projected revenue of the district also declined over the past year and it is anticipated that fiscal year 2011-12 will see additional diminishing revenue. The mission of the district is to identify, promote and support a broad range of healthcare needs within the community while managing its’ assets to provide for continuance of the community’s hospital facility and for development of additional needed healthcare programs, facilities and/or services in a financially responsible manner.

The final grant applications were presented to the district and all eleven were distributed to the board of directors on May 9.

Several applicants’ requests were reduced; however, all eleven of the grant applicants received substantial funding for their programs. A total of $571,650.00 was awarded by the district for fiscal year 2011-2012. Representatives of the applicants that attended the meeting expressed their appreciation to the board for awarding grant funding.

Each grant recipient is required to submit periodic report of their program and of their utilization of funds. A schedule of report and incremental payments is defined with the formal contractual agreement between the district and the recipient organization. Grant Year 2011-12 runs July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.

The grants will be formally awarded July 13 at the Fallbrook Healthcare District’s board meeting at the Fallbrook Hospital in Conference Rooms A&B at 6 p.m., followed by a congratulatory reception. The public is welcome to attend.