GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado – Rocky Mountain Health Foundation has awarded grants totaling over $574,000 to health-focused organizations on the Western Slope. Nearly $163,000 in Staff Care grants has been awarded to organizations funded by RMHF in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has put tremendous strain on everyone, but especially on employees in the health and human service field, who are often stretched to the limit and sacrifice their own health in caring for their clients. The Foundation understands that staff are the most precious resource for any organization. In response, these unsolicited, restricted grants were awarded as a means for organizations to directly support the emotional and physical wellbeing of staff. RMHF believes these grants are a unique and meaningful way to further promote the health of people on the Western Slope. In the traditional grant funding process, 28 organizations addressing physical and mental health, basic needs, and COVID-19 response received grants totaling $361,500.
They are (by county): Delta County: Chain of Love, North Fork Senior Connections; Garfield County: RIDE, Valley Meals, SANA, UpRoot, A Way Out; Grand County: Grand County Rural Health Network; Hinsdale County: Lake City Area Medical Center; LaPlata County: 4 the Children, In The Weeds, SW Center for Independence, Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center, Manna, San Juan Basin Public Health; Mesa County: Foster Alumni Mentors, Project 1.27, Riverside Educational Center, Western Colorado Health Network; Moffat County: Community Budget Center; Montezuma County: Four Corners Youth Clinics; Montrose County: West End Family Link Center; Routt County: NW Colorado Center for Independence, Partners in Routt County, Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports; San Miguel County: One-to-One Mentoring; Summit County: Peak Health Alliance. Together We Protect: Colorado’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Project received $50,000.
This endeavor will provide rapid funding into communities highly impacted by COVID-19 to ensure communities of color and those who face systemic barriers have the best possible information about the COVID-19 vaccine and can access the vaccine through low-barrier opportunities.
Rocky Mountain Health Foundation was established in 2017 to improve the health of Coloradans living on the Western Slope by investing in community assets and by acting as a catalyst for new approaches. To learn more about Rocky Mountain Health Foundation and to see a detailed list of funded projects, visit https://rmhealth.org/grant-making/funded-projects/. Contact: Michaelle Smith, 970.644.8188, michaelle@RMHealth.org