Those who are fired with an enthusiastic idea and who allow it to take hold and dominate their thoughts find that new worlds open for them. As long as enthusiasm holds out, so will new opportunities.            - Norman Vincent Peale

Alameda County Public Health Department
Immunization Assistance Project Director
Alameda County's Immunization Assistance Project has partnered with Alameda County's Public Health Nurse, the Ashland Community Center and other community organizations to provide under-served seniors in the Ashland/Cherryland area with free influenza, pneumococcal, tetanus and diphtheria vaccinations and information. The Community Health Fund has helped purchase the supplies and establish vaccine clinics in areas of the community that are easily accessible to seniors. This fall and winter, the program will administer 600 doses of flu vaccine, 185 doses of pneumococcal vaccine and 220 doses of tetanus/diphtheria vaccine.
Grant Award: $5,000
 

Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay promotes early intervention and prevention of premature or inappropriate institutionalization for people affected by early-to-late stage Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, including support groups, adult day health care, counseling, education, training and referral. The organization's services are designed to increase the quality of life of those with dementia and to lessen caregiver burden and stress. Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay operates the only licensed adult day care center in the District, and it is the only Alzheimer's Day Care Resource Center in Alameda County. The Eden Township Healthcare District Community Health Fund has helped the organization expand its dementia-specific services in the District through their new Hayward center.
Grant Award: $30,000
 

Baywood Court Retirement Community in Castro Valley is a non-profit retirement community that provides independent living and assisted living, and also houses a 56-bed skilled nursing facility. Their Primetime Transportation Program provides persons living within the Eden Township Healthcare District who are 60 years of age or older with access to non-emergency medical services. Transportation is provided to Eden Medical Center departments, approved physician offices, and upon discharge from Eden Medical Center, Laurel Grove Acute Rehabilitation or Baywood Court Skilled Nursing Facility. The program also includes persons of any age who are disabled or wheelchair bound. The Community Health Fund Grant has allowed the Primetime Transportation Program to expand to provide transportation for approximately 150 additional district residents per month.
Grant Award: $15,900
 

Castro Valley Unified School District
Healthy Teen Program
The Castro Valley Unified School District's Healthy Teen Program augments its school nursing programs by adding one full time nurse to serve the two high schools in the district: Castro Valley High with 2,200 students and Redwood Alternative High with 170 students. The program responds to pressing issues of medical emergencies, substance abuse, eating disorders, high-risk sexual behavior, and mental health conditions such as depression. The program seeks to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits; improve access to health care assessment, case management and advice; reduce numbers of suicide attempts; increase use of on-campus mental health, eating disorder and substance abuse services; and provide staff with better information about adolescent treatment issues, strategies and referral mechanisms. The Community Health Fund has helped to expand these services, double the overall nursing capacity of the school district, and concentrates these services on adolescents experiencing acute or chronic risk conditions.
Grant Award: $60,000
 

Christmas in April
Christmas in April's program is centered on National Rebuilding Day, which is the last Saturday in April. The program's mission is to provide a free service to those who cannot afford to make much-needed repairs on their homes, allowing families to live in a safe and clean environment. The Community Health Fund has helped renovate two homes, including construction of wheelchair ramps, restoration of heating systems and installation of smoke detectors, for low-income seniors and disabled homeowners as part of a larger effort for residents in Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, San Leandro and Hayward.
Grant Award: $5,000
 

The Child Assault Prevention Training Center promotes the safety, strength and freedom of children, their families and their community, by reducing their vulnerability to abuse and assault through education and advocacy. The Child Assault Prevention model in local schools began in 1981 to provide educational workshops to reduce the risk of abuse and assault and promote the safety and health of students, parents, and school staff. The workshops are designed to give youth the skills and strategies they can use to protect themselves in dangerous or abusive situations. The Community Health Fund has helped Child Assault Prevention program to serve approximately 1,200 students in the 6th through 10th grades, and provide training for 100 parents and 150 teachers, at specific schools in the Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and Hayward school districts.
Grant Award: $30,000

 

Davis Street Community Center, Inc.
Ashland/Eden Wellness Project
The Davis Street Community Center improves the quality of life of its clients by providing direct services that include free acute medical care to uninsured residents, food packages and nutrition workshops to low-income families and their children, job training/placements to CalWorks participants and quality subsidized childcare to eligible clients. The Community Health Fund has helped create the Ashland/Eden Wellness Project, with a goal to enhance health and livelihood of Ashland and Eden area residents and their families through access to health services, nutrition education, life skills training and nutritious food, fostering the creation and sustainability of a vital, self-sufficient and productive life for disenfranchised and impoverished persons. The Community Health Fund has also helped improve the basic-need services through nutrition education and life skills training that teach low-income individuals about menu planning, food budgeting, safety and goal-setting efforts to establish and maintain a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their children.
Grant Award: $60,000
 

Deaf Counseling Advocacy and Referral Agency
Deaf Women Against Violence Program
Deaf Counseling, Advocacy and Referral Agency strives to improve the quality of life for deaf people and provides seven categories of service: communication assistance, independent living skills, peer counseling, information and referral, employment, advocacy and community education. The Community Health Fund has helped establish their Deaf Women Against Violence program to assist deaf women who have been abused, advocate for their needs with hospitals, courts, police and other such entities, assist in finding safe housing with people who use American Sign Language, and provide emotional support, if needed. The Community Health Fund has helped the program include a full-time coordinator, a 24-hour pager hotline, training for police, hospitals and other entities related to domestic violence and sexual abuse, and program costs.
Grant Award: $44,880
 

The East Bay Cancer Support Group, Inc.
Teen Cancer Support Group Program
The East Bay Cancer Support Group is a non-profit organization serving individuals, families and caregivers facing the emotional challenges that arise when coping with the reality of cancer. The Community Health Fund has helped develop their Teen Cancer Support Group to provide emotional support for teens who are diagnosed with cancer, who are dealing with a family member who has been diagnosed with cancer, or who are coping with the death of a family member. The professionally-facilitated support group creates a unique and safe environment for emotional support and the sharing of experiences among peers.
Grant Award: $9,650
 

The YMCA of the East Bay is committed to strengthening and enriching the development of individuals and families through quality programs that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body. The Community Health Fund has helped establish the YMCA "Feelin' Good" fitness program for children aged 6-11 years old. The program is a blend of educational and physical activities designed to enhance the development of healthful lifestyle habits. The program enhances the health and fitness of children and instills the habits of exercise and proper nutrition to prevent heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The program serves 150 children from Hayward and 100 children from Castro Valley, all from low-income families.
Grant Award: $5,000
 

Eden Youth & Family Center
Hayward New Start Tattoo Removal Program
Eden Youth and Family Center's mission is to improve the quality of life for children, youth and their families. The Center's goal is to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to develop his/her potential to become a productive, happy adult. New Start offers life-changing opportunities to youth who are, or have been, gang or drug involved and who have a genuine desire to move their lives in a positive direction. The Hayward New Start Tattoo Removal Program assists youth and adults ages 13 - 26 to remove visible gang and drug related tattoos at no cost to the participants. The participants must develop and carry out an educational and/or vocational training or employment program under the guidance of a sponsoring organization, contribute 50 hours of community service and attend a group support meeting once a month. The Community Health fund has helped expand the program to serve the residents of the Eden Township Healthcare District.
Grant Award: $28,890
 

Girls Inc. seeks to empower girls and young women by inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold. The agency focuses on gender-specific issues and also provides a full range of youth and family services to Alameda County communities. The School Age Mother's Program is a comprehensive alternative high school program for pregnant and parenting teens and provides education, child care and a range of support services including prenatal care, parenting education, health education, infant assessment and case management. Over the past two years, the SAM program has had a 90% graduation rate for seniors. The Community Health Fund has helped the program expand to serves teens in Castro Valley, San Leandro and San Lorenzo.
Grant Award: $40,000
 

Grandparents and Relatives as Second Parents serves as a support group for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Currently the Castro Valley group meets twice monthly. The Community Health Fund has enabled the organization to increase their services by offering a monthly course which combines emotional health and parenting techniques for the unique needs of this population, speakers on physical health and legal issues, a respite retreat, quality childcare at meetings and outreach to assist more people in need in the Eden Township Healthcare District.
Grant Award: $7,369
 

Since 1992 The Kids' Breakfast Club has worked to provide a child, family and community network that promotes the health and wellness of children and their families through specific activities that foster physical, social and intellectual growth. They have grown from serving 200 breakfasts at one site to now serving 2,000 breakfasts at four sites. The scope of their program has expanded to include parent education workshops, health services through screenings and referrals, a literacy component and a daily arts and crafts program. The Community Health Fund has helped the program expand from four sites to five - adding a new site at the Ashland Community Center, strengthening partnerships with local schools, opening a year round referral and resource center and providing more continuous year round service.
Grant Award: $25,000
 

Legal Assistance for Seniors
Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program
The mission of Legal Assistance for Seniors is to ensure the independence and dignity of seniors, especially those with the greatest need, by protecting and advocating for their legal rights. The Community Health Fund has helped establish HICAP Plus to expand on the organization's Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program by providing additional, specialized services to seniors in the Eden Township Healthcare District living at or slightly above the poverty line. Its purpose is to improve access to health care for these individuals by making Medicare more affordable. Specifically, HICAP Plus will expand awareness and use of federal subsidy programs, provide training for service providers, provide individual counseling to help Medicare beneficiaries apply for correct programs, and provide advocacy to solve problems that arise during the process or after they enroll. The project includes services in English, Chinese, Farsi and Spanish.
Grant Award: $47,500
 

The Mercy Brown Bag Program began in 1982 with support from the State of California Brown Bag Network Act and sponsored by Mercy Retirement & Care Center as a community outreach service to provide groceries to low-income seniors. Mercy Brown Bag Program's mission is to coordinate the distribution of high quality, nutritionally balanced, bags of groceries to low-income seniors age 60 and over, in Alameda County. The Community Health Fund has helped establish food distribution sites in the Eden Township Healthcare District to serve at least 80 low-income seniors, primarily those underserved residents of Cherryland, Ashland and Fairview.
Grant Award: $15,000
 

The San Leandro Boys & Girls Club invests in the future of youth by providing programs and opportunities that nurture their capacity to become self-sufficient, responsible and fulfilled member of the community. The goal is that all Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. The Hillside branch offers more 300 youth of unincorporated San Leandro a place with educational, recreational and youth development activities. The youth in this area has little to offer - no access to a nearby library, a public swimming pool and no parks within walking distance. The Community Health Fund has helped strengthen and expand services to youth, including the addition of nutritional and health education programs, at the Hillside branch.
Grant Award: $35,000
 

San Leandro Shelter for Women and Children
Outreach Program to Eden Township
San Leandro Shelter for Women and Children seeks to end homelessness and domestic violence by providing community education, outreach, housing and supportive services to help women become independent and capable of caring for themselves and their children. The Community Health Fund supports the goal of the Hayward Family Court's Community Outreach Program by helping battered women in the Eden Township Healthcare District to create safe, healthy and independent lives for themselves and their children free of violence, substance abuse and the threat of homelessness.
Grant Award: $45,000
 

Shelter Against Violent Environments (SAVE)
Medical/Hospital Intervention in Domestic Violence
Shelter Against Violent Environments (SAVE) is a domestic violence prevention and intervention agency with a mission to offer alternatives to domestic violence through support services, advocacy and education and to assist domestic violence victims and their families in ending the cycle of violence. SAVE offers one of the largest domestic violence shelters in Alameda County with 30 beds. The Community Health Fund has helped establish a model program that enables medical facilities to respond to domestic violence in a comprehensive manner (screening, identification, assessment, intervention, etc.). The program also provides 24-hour on-call services to include basic intervention, safety planning, information and referral, for women who require medical assistance in the emergency room or medical facilities.
Grant Award: $25,000
 

Spectrum Community Services works to assist low-income, disadvantaged and elderly residents of Alameda County as they attempt to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency and improve the overall quality of their lives. The Community Health Fund has helped create the Fall Risk Reduction Program for frail, low-income elderly in the Eden Township Healthcare District. Falls are the number one cause of trauma-related injuries among the senior population, contribute substantially to health care costs and affect repeated hospital admissions. The program combines a strength-building exercise regime with minor home modification and education to reduce the number of falls among participating seniors and increase the perceived sense of control that they have over their independence.
Grant Award: $50,000
 

St. Rose Hospital Foundation
Silva Pediatric Dental Clinic
There is an epidemic of dental decay affecting children that is a very treatable disease and can be dramatically reduced through clinics such as the Silva Pediatric Dental Clinic. The clinic serves economically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse children from birth to 20 years of age. Of the 22 local pediatric and/or family dentists in Hayward, Fremont, Castro Valley and San Leandro, only seven will accept Medi-Cal patients. Of those seven, three provide limited services, and two offer only part-time services. The clinic fills a gap for the working poor families who have no access to pediatric dental care. The Community Health Fund has helped the clinic fund a full-time dentist who is specifically trained to treat dental problems in children.
Grant Award: $40,000
 

Students In Business works in collaboration with the Hayward and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts to pair at-risk middle and high school students with caring adults in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Many of the students whom teachers refer to this program come from single-parent households and are poor academic achievers, while some have physical disabilities or are in special education classes. Mentors take students to the library to assist them with their homework, to university and college campuses, nature reserves, museums, cultural events and sporting events to expose students to positive environments. The Community Health Fund has assisted 10 additional students in gaining the personalized support they need to make good decisions that have a positive impact on their lives.
Grant Award: $5,000
 

Teens In Crisis provides health education to high-risk, sexually active youth. These youth are referred by the court, probation officers, school leaders and parents and have historically been resistant to health education. The Community Health Fund has helped train a youth peer mentor and provide direct services to approximately 100 young people between the ages of 13 and 17. Participants are required to attend a two-hour health education seminar on a subject concerning high-risk sexual behavior, teen pregnancy, substance abuse and tobacco use. The majority of information and support concentrates on teen pregnancy prevention and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
Grant Award: $5,000
 

The Senior Health Screening Program of Valley Community Health Center is an essential element in the system of care for seniors living in the area. The program provides health services at senior centers, mobile home parks, churches and housing centers, enabling the staff to identify seniors who are in urgent need of care but do not have access to services due to disabilities, transportation problems and a lack of knowledge about available services. Through the referral and follow-up program, the program's nurses have been able to coordinate care and establish services to help seniors live independently and with a better quality of life. The Community Health Fund has helped expand the program to two additional sites and reach 240 more Eden Township Healthcare District residents.
Grant Award: $17,817
 

The YWCA Mid-County Counseling Services provides a multi-systemic intervention program for the Castro Valley Unified School District's six-week summer school session. The program focuses on identifying and treating youth at high risk for substance abuse, involvement in the juvenile justice system, and/or aggressive and violent behavior. Treatment options include individual assessment and counseling, group counseling and skill training, family counseling and family case management services. The Community Health Fund has helped establish the program and secure a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a specialization in adolescents and substance abuse to provide on-site assessments and counseling for 10 hours at Castro Valley High School, 10 hours at Canyon Middle School and 5 hours at Creekside Middle School.
Grant Award: $5,000