MIAMI, FL- Twenty-three organizations throughout Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties have been awarded grants of up to $168,000 by Health Foundation of South Florida to improve the health of people living in those Counties. The grants, which total $1.8 million, address community health needs, including increasing access to quality, primary health services, oral health care, breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screenings and opportunities for physical activity and nutritious foods. The combined impact of the funding is expected to reach and improve health for thousands of residents.

“The funding enables Health Foundation to work with community partners who bring expertise and resources to improve people’s health, with a focus on prevention and early intervention, “said Health Foundation Chairwoman Divina Grossman,Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N. She added, “We are proud to partner with grantees in addressing community needs to ensure all residents have opportunities for better health.”

In Miami-Dade County, grants were awarded to: Baptist Health of South Florida, $75,000 to open a nurse practitioner-led outpatient clinic designed to reduce hospital readmissions; Carrfour Supportive Housing, $80,000 to create a healthy food hub that extends into low-income neighborhoods; Chapman Partnership, $100,000 to increase the access to primary healthcare for homeless families and individuals; Citrus Health Network, $100,000 to establish a new primary care clinic for homeless individuals in the Hialeah area; Community AIDS Resource, $41,000 to increase productivity of a dental clinic by adding a part-time dental hygienist; Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation, $129,000 to provide preventive oral health services to school aged children and Easter Seals South Florida, $60,000 to open an adult day care facility for patients with Alzheimer’s and memory disorders.

Additional Miami-Dade County grantees include: Florida Heart Research Institute, $80,000 to provide preventive health screenings and access to community- based health centers for those needing follow up; Health Council of South Florida, $40,000 to continue a Web-based repository of Miami- Dade County specific health data; Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation, $168,000 to expand the Doral Dental Clinic; New Hope C.O.R.P.S., $50,000 to help disabled, homeless individuals access health care and other basic needs; Open Door Health Center, $100,000 to provide primary care services to low-income, uninsured residents; The Education Fund, $93,000 to support expansion of an integrated, nutrition school gardening program and development of a train-the-trainer model for sustainability.

In Broward County, grants were awarded to: City of West Park, $60,000 to improve two parks to increase physical activity levels of residents; Hospice by the Sea, $30,000 for technology upgrades to enable Certified Nurses Assistants to document patient encounter data electronically, in real-time; Institute for Child and Family Health, $100,000 to expand organization’s health information technology system to ensure compliance with federal guidelines and improve organizational efficiency; Memorial Foundation received $117,000 to assist five primary care centers achieve National Committee for Quality Assurance, Patient Centered Medical Home recognition as well as $78,000 to increase the number of clinic patients that receive and complete a colorectal cancer screening test and North Broward Hospital District Charitable Foundation, $60,000 to support the planning for National Committee for Quality Assurance, Patient Centered Medical Home recognition.

In Monroe County, Star of the Sea Foundation received $36,000 to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables among low-income residents in the Florida Keys.

Organizations receiving multi-county grants include: Florida Impact, $43,000 to enroll afterschool providers in the newly established federal Supper Program increasing access to healthy meals to children in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties; Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, $53,000 to provide access to comprehensive eye examinations and glasses to uninsured children in Broward and Monroe Counties and Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, $65,000 to evaluate their new system for documenting and tracking the health care needs of foster children in Broward and Monroe Counties.

About Health Foundation of South Florida: Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grantmaking organization, focuses on going beyond traditional funding to drive change, achieve measurable impact and collaborate with partners who can help us improve health for residents in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $92 million on its way to making a healthy difference in the lives of South Floridians. For more information, please call 305.374.7200 or visit www.hfsf.org. For details on Health Foundation’s $7.5 million Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative, see: www.healthyagingsf.org