WCHF Awards $1.7 Million In Grants To 16 Agencies

By Amber Lester Kennedy Saturday, December 11, 2010

The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation will give $1.7 million in grant funding to 16 area agencies that work to increase access to health care and wellness programs.

The WCHF’s Board of Trustees approved the recipients of the grants at its Dec. 6 meeting. The grants were the second set awarded in its 2010 grant funding cycle. This year, WCHF has invested $4.3 million in new or continuing grant-funded projects.

More than $800,000 of the funds was awarded in Competitive Grants to 15 agencies, including the Historic Triangle Senior Center’s RIDES program, which provides non-emergency medical transportation for seniors and people with disabilities.

Funding was also provided to Project Care, a regional effort to provide uninsured adults with access to specialty care.

Child Development Resources received funding to support its Infant and Parent Program and the Comprehensive Health Investment Project. Competitive Grants also went to Avalon, Bacon Street, Grove Christian Outreach, Rx Partnership, the Senior Services Coalition, Legacy Soccer, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Williamsburg Meals-on-Wheels, York County Division of Juvenile Services and several other agencies.

Four grants totaling $514,382 were approved in the Foundation-Directed Grant category. The funding will go to Colonial Behavioral Health to continue support of the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative; to Olde Towne Medical Center and Colonial Behavioral Health to treat medically underserved patients with chronic diseases; and to the Virginia Health Care Foundation for the Greater Williamsburg Medication Access Program. Olde Towne Medical Center also received funding for its main operations.

The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation is a nonprofit private foundation dedicated to improving the health of people living in Williamsburg and surrounding counties by strengthening access to quality health services and promoting good health practices. Since its creation in 1997, the foundation has awarded more than $44 million to support community health programs.

“The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation is proud to be a partner with these 16 nonprofit organizations that are addressing health-related challenges in our community,” said Jeanne Zeidler, president of WCHF. “Each of these agencies is providing services that are needed by individuals and families in Greater Williamsburg to improve their quality of life.”