Valleywise Health Foundation Receives $220,000 Grant from the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant Program
(PHOENIX, Ariz. – Dec. 7, 2022) – Valleywise Health Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting Valleywise Health, Arizona’s public teaching health system, has been awarded $220,000 through the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment grant program. The grant will support Cultural Health Navigators at Valleywise Health’s Refugee Women’s Health Clinic over a two-year period to help bridge cultural gaps and improve patient outcomes.
Mercy C.A.R.E.S., which stands for Community Action Resources Education and Service, is Mercy Care’s community giving initiative. Through grant funding, sponsorships, volunteer efforts and board participation, Mercy C.A.R.E.S. supports AHCCCS’ Whole Person Care Initiative, which addresses Social Risk Factors to improve health outcomes.
“Each Mercy C.A.R.E.S. community reinvestment grant supports organizations that directly address Mercy Care’s key community health focus areas, which are centered on advancing health equity by managing chronic conditions, supporting mental health and well-being, addressing housing security, and empowering recovery from substance use,” says Dr. Gagandeep Singh, chief medical officer of Mercy Care. “Since 2016, the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment grant program has invested nearly $15 million in local organizations.”
Since its inception in 2008, the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic has been a medical home to more than 5,000 individual patients from 71 different countries speaking 67 different languages. Cultural Health Navigators are the cornerstone of the program’s success. From assisting refugees with navigating the health system by accompanying them to medical visits, to providing interpretation and transportation services, to providing home visits, Cultural Health Navigators play a critical role in establishing trust and educating families.
“Support for Cultural Health Navigators provided by the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. grant will assist our Refugee Health Services team to provide the culturally sensitive clinical care needed most by families starting a new life,” said Valleywise Health chief clinical officer Dr. Michael White. “These Navigators are an invaluable part of our refugee care team, working to reduce health inequities and cultural barriers to care.”
As one of the top 10 refugee resettlement states in the U.S., Arizona has hosted more than 75,000 refugees since 1975. An average of 4,000 refugees are resettled in Arizona annually.
About Mercy Care
Mercy Care is a not-for-profit Medicaid managed-care health plan, serving AHCCCS members in Arizona since 1985. Mercy Care is a local company sponsored by Dignity Health and Ascension Health. Mercy Care provides access to physical and behavioral health care services for Medicaid-eligible families, children, seniors, and individuals with developmental/cognitive disabilities. Learn more at www.MercyCareAZ.org.
About Valleywise Health Foundation
Valleywise Health Foundation is the Phoenix-based 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to providing philanthropic support for critical patient and program needs at Arizona’s public teaching health system, Valleywise Health. Named Arizona Business Magazine’s AzBusiness Angels Healthcare-focused Nonprofit of the Year in 2020 and in 2021, key funding areas include, burn survivorship care, innovative behavioral health programs, and teaching tomorrow’s healthcare professionals. The Valleywise Health mission is to provide exceptional care, without exception, every patient, every time – regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. More than 70 percent of Valleywise Health’s patients are financially vulnerable. To learn more and donate, visit www.valleywisehealthfoundation.org.
About Valleywise Health
Located in Phoenix, Arizona and named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in the nation by IBM Watson Health in 2020, Valleywise Health (formerly Maricopa Integrated Health System) has a proud tradition as the public safety net health care system with a mission and commitment to serving the underserved. Valleywise Health consists of Valleywise Health Medical Center, Arizona’s only public teaching hospital, the only trauma center in Maricopa County verified by the American College of Surgeons to treat both adults and children, and Arizona’s only nationally verified Burn Center serving the entire Southwestern United States. Other services include the McDowell Healthcare Center, the largest provider of HIV primary care in Arizona, Refugee Health Services, three behavioral health hospitals, and a network of 11 community health centers located throughout Maricopa County. To learn more, please visit www.ValleywiseHealth.org.
