October 4, 2007
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

Foundation Awards $11.4 Million to 80 Organizations

Grants Fund Programs for Diabetes Management, Healthy Living, Basic Support

St. Louis - Eighty Missouri organizations have received a share of $11,474,940 in grants from Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) to provide improved health care opportunities to residents across the state.

The funding comes through four MFH programs: Better Self-Management of Diabetes, which helps organizations assisting underserved people with Type II diabetes; Healthy & Active Communities, which funds community-based organizations helping those at risk of developing obesity; Health Interventions in Non-Traditional Settings, which funds faith-based and other non-traditional organizations' health-focused efforts; and Basic Support, which supports organizations' ongoing expenses related to its mission.

Eight organizations received three-year Better Self Management of Diabetes grants:
Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers, St. Louis, $727,536. The health center is expanding its diabetes management program to 7,600 people over three years.
Hannibal Regional Hospital, Hannibal, $287,639. Funding supports the education of more than 2,000 individuals about diabetes risk factors and treatment options.
Myrtle Hilliard Davis Comprehensive Health Centers, Inc., St. Louis, $515,153. Funding enables the health center to increase patient involvement in diabetes management decision-making, in order to decrease future complications.
Northeast Missouri Rural Health Network, Kirksville, $552,008. Funding supports the development of a coordinated system of care for 2,000 uninsured/underinsured/underserved individuals with Type II diabetes.
Pike County Health Department, Home Care and Hospice, Bowling Green, $785,715. Funding enables the health department to develop a self-management program for more than 900 people with Type II diabetes in northeast Missouri.
St. John's Mercy Hospital, Washington, $1,144,794. Funding allows the hospital to expand its current diabetes management program to an additional 1,950 east-central Missouri patients by implementing on-site education and coaching.
St. John's Regional Medical Center, Joplin, $679,882. Funding enables the southwest Missouri health center to develop a program that educates and empowers people with Type II diabetes to play a more active role in their treatment.
Washington University Diabetes Center, St. Louis, $549,906. Funding provides a network of community-based self-management resources for individuals with diabetes.

The 10 organizations funded through MFH's Healthy & Active Communities Initiative are:
America SCORES - St. Louis, St. Louis, $148,356. Funding continues the organization's soccer program for underserved children, which focuses on increasing physical activity and nutrition education.
Columbia/Boone County Health Department, Columbia, $302,668. Funding expands current activities designed to increase access to good nutrition and physical activity in mid-Missouri.
Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, Springfield, $348,754. Funding continues the organization's "Vitality, Vim and Vigor" obesity-prevention program for underserved and at-risk families in Springfield.
Mark Twain Forest Regional Health Alliance, Ironton, $314,026. Funding expands the organization's nutrition education and physical activity programs to schools and community organizations in a five-county area of rural southeast Missouri.
Ozarks Regional YMCA, Springfield, $346,019. This grant allows for continuation of the Healthy Kids Academy, a program for children emphasizing nutrition education and physical activity.
Phelps County Community Partnership, Rolla, $349,590. Funding expands the organization's "Fit Phelps 5:30" program, a campaign that encourages healthy lifestyle choices and obesity prevention in children.
Polk County Health Center, Bolivar, $349,166. Funding expands the organization's five-county effort in southwest Missouri to promote healthy eating and increase physical activity among residents.
St. Louis County Department of Health, St. Louis, $349,141. This grant expands the "Hip Hop for Health" program, aimed at encouraging middle-school students and their families to make healthy nutrition choices and increase physical activity.
St. Louis Regional OASIS, St. Louis, $116,960. Funding enables the organization to develop its "Healthy Life Project", aimed at helping older adults better manage and improve their health.
University of Missouri - St. Louis, St. Louis, $338,374. Funding expands the university's childhood obesity prevention program in rural Scott County.

The 45 organizations funded through MFH's Health Intervention in Non-Traditional Settings are:
African Mutual Assistance Association of Missouri (AMAAM), St. Louis, $50,000. Funding provides transportation to health centers and interpretive services for area African refugees.
Agape Ministry of Warrenton, Inc., Warrenton, $50,000. Funding allows the organization to provide financial assistance to underinsured/uninsured/underserved individuals northwest of St. Louis who have acute dental conditions.
Ascension Lutheran Church, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding enables the organization to begin a parish nurse program.
Baden Collaborative Parish Nurse Ministry, St. Louis, $44,620. This grant funds the organization's health assessment, screening and exercise programs for area older adults.
Bi-Lingual International Assistant Services, St. Louis, $50,000. This grant funds a program that educates health care providers and improves health care coverage for underserved populations.
Cape Girardeau County Community Caring Council, Cape Girardeau, $50,000. The grants funds the organization's health-related activities forsouth Cape Girardeau residents.
Catholic Charities Community Services, Jefferson County Center, Crystal City, $50,000. Funding expands the organization's program to provide health services to homebound elderly individuals south of St. Louis.
Connections to Success, St. Louis, $45,875. Funding expands a current women's program to include health education component that promotes nutrition, exercise and access to regular medical care.
Council of Churches of the Ozarks, Springfield, $50,000. This grant expands the organization's door-to-door transportation service for elderly and disabled clients, families and caregivers.
Deaconess Parish Nurse Ministries LLC, St. Louis, $50,000. Through this grant, area seminary students will learn about healthy behaviors and exercise to both improve their own health and the health of their future congregations.
Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis, $50,000. This grant expands the organization's new parents program to include education of health professionals about prenatal tests and training of volunteers working with new parents.
El Puente Hispanic Ministry, Jefferson City, $16,000. With this funding, the organization continues providing health transportation services and emergency health supplies in mid-Missouri.
The First Congregational Church of St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding establishes a parish nurse program to assess community health needs.
Gateway Greening, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding expands the organization's current services to increase access to nutritious foods and physical activity for people in low-income neighborhoods.
Helping Ministry Neighborhood Development, Hayti, $24,972. This grant enables the organization to implement health literacy, physical activity and personal dietary programs to underserved individuals in the Bootheel region.
Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, St. Louis, $40,000. Funding expands the organization's current dental treatment program to 300 additional low-income, underserved youth.
Hervey Foundation, Bridgeton, $7,496. This grant funds a St. Louis-based program designed to help at-risk youth in dealing with emotions, depression and other issues.
Humanitri, St. Louis, $50,000. This grant expands the organization's teen parenting classes and workshops.
Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding provides staff support in underserved community churches to promote wellness and respond to health needs.
Learning Opportunities/Quality Works, Inc., Monroe City, $50,000. Funding enables this northeast Missouri organization to implement a wellness and relapse prevention program for people dealing with mental illness.
Lutheran Church of the Atonement, Florissant, $23,240. This grant expands an exercise program and also enables the St. Louis-area church to offer classes on living with chronic health conditions.
Metropolitan Community Church of Greater St. Louis, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding supports programs that provide information, counseling and access to health care for lesbians, gay men and people who are HIV-positive.
Missouri Baptist Children's Home Children and Family Ministries, St. Louis, $50,000. This grant enables the organization to provide support services to young women facing unplanned pregnancies in the rural Bootheel region.
Missouri Mid-South Conference of the United Church of Christ, St. Louis, $30,000. With this funding, the organization is developing a program to trains adult youth leaders in mental health first aid practices.
Missouri Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding expands a training program on reproductive loss counseling for clergy working in Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Kirksville, Springfield and St. Louis.
Missouri School of Religion, Jefferson City. Through two separate grants, this organization is training registered nurses to become parish nurses. A $45,700 grant targets Osage and Maries counties, while a $32,000 grant focuses on training nurses to serve in rural southwest and northeast Missouri.
North Side Team Ministry, St. Louis, $30,800. Funding enables the organization to coordinate health services for the residents of the College Hill neighborhood in north St. Louis.
Opportunity Church of God in Christ, Charleston, $45,044. Funding expands the southeast Missouri church's counseling program for individuals with addictions to drugs and/or alcohol.
Parishes Associated on Kinloch Team (PAKT) Community Resource Center, St. Louis, $34,376. Funding provides free health screenings and health education to older adults at area community centers and residential facilities.
The Positive Family Enterprise, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding expands the organization's parish nurse program, enabling it to providing health services to more families.
St. Gabriel the Archangel, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding expands the organization's current parish nurse program to reach an additional 300 people.
St. Joan of Arc Parish, St. Louis, $45,436. This grant expands the organization's parish nurse program to include health promotion programs for the elderly and new parents.
St. Louis Association of Community Organizations, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding would benefit the organization's clean air program, which works to reduce air pollution and asthma attacks.
St. Norbert Catholic Church, Florissant, $25,000. This grant enables the church to offer healthy eating and weight management programs to parish members and neighborhood residents in north St. Louis County.
Services for Independent Living, Columbia, $50,000. Funding helps the organization to establish a medical transportation program for individuals with disabilities in rural central Missouri.
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of St. Louis, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding enables the organization to connect underserved individuals to medical care and services not covered by Medicaid.
South Grand Senior Ministry, St. Louis, $48,560. Funding expands the organization's physical, emotional and spiritual wellness programs to 10 new area churches.
South Side Day Nursery, St. Louis, $49,888. Funding expands the organization's nutrition program to include education about healthy eating to children, families and caregivers.
Stella Maris Child Center, St. Louis, $50,000. This grant funds the organization's program for low-income families that focuses on increasing healthy child development, improving relationships, and reducing child abuse and neglect.
UMC Parkview Corporation, Inc., St. Louis, $34,910. Funding expands the organization's substance abuse recovery program.
Van Buren Youth & Community Center, Van Buren, $47,050. This grant enables the southeast Missouri organization to establish a database of health and wellness resources.
Vision House of Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau, $26,600. Funding expands the organization's services to homeless women with addictions to include anger and stress management classes, as well as relapse prevention classes and counseling.
West End Mount Carmel Community Outreach Services, St. Louis, $50,000. Funding expands the organization's First Step program to include 18-25-year-olds in recovering from substance abuse.
The Women's Safe House, St. Louis, $49,605. This grant enables the domestic violence shelter to address the physical and mental health of its clients by adding a parish nurse component.

Basic Support grants provide general operational funding for organizations so that its other monies can be used for direct program support. Those 17 funded organizations are:
Capital Area Chapter American Red Cross, Jefferson City, $100,000. This organization offers disaster training and emergency relief to 20 central Missouri counties.
Community Vision of St. Charles County, St. Charles, $100,000. This organization provides preventive health services and educational programs in the St. Louis area.
Dancing Horizon Health, LC, Boonville, $18,556. This organization provides medical care and counseling services to underserved people in central Missouri.
Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments, St. Louis, $100,000. This organization provides early intervention and counseling services for children with visual impairments and their families.
Earth Angel Aviators, Wentzville, $19,978. This organization provides transportation to medical facilities for underserved rural individuals throughout Missouri.
Farmington Senior Center, Farmington, $100,000. This organization provides food and nutritional counseling to the handicapped and elderly living in southeast Missouri.
Isabel's House, Springfield, $51,630. This organization provides shelter and aid to child abuse victims in southwest Missouri.
The Joy Foundation, St. Louis, $27,256. This organization provides support services for area cancer patients and their families.
McAuley Counseling Services, Inc., Springfield, $100,000. This organization provides mental health services to the underserved in southwest Missouri.
Missouri Girls' Town Foundation, Inc., Kingdom City, $100,000. This organization provides shelter, counseling and health care services to abused girls in central Missouri.
Phelps County Community Partnership, Rolla, $100,000. This organization provides health education and preventive services to the uninsured and underserved in south central Missouri.
The Right Step Project, Valley Park, $696. This organization provides mental health treatment and counseling to individuals in the St. Louis area.
St. Louis Integrated Health Network, St. Louis, $100,000. This organization provides primary health services to the area's uninsured and underinsured.
St. Louis Office for MR & DD Resources, St. Louis, $200,000. This organization provides services to underserved mentally retarded/developmentally disabled individuals.
Southern Missouri Community Health Center, West Plains, $100,000. This organization provides primary health care services to underserved individuals in southern Missouri.
Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis, St. Louis, $100,000. This organization provides special medical equipment to disabled children.
Young Choices, Inc., St. Charles, $3,965. This organization provides tobacco prevention education programs for underinsured and underserved individuals in the St. Louis area.

Established in 2000, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH is in its sixth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $240 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

# # #

View other releases.