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Mat-Su Health Foundation fall grant awards

Wasilla, AK-The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) announced its third and
fourth quarter Healthy Impact grant awards to qualified nonprofits
serving Mat-Su residents.  Seven organizations received a total of
$1,778,095 for projects that help build opportunities for a healthy life
in Mat-Su.  A complete list of Fall 2011 grant awards is attached to
this release.   


Two multi-year grants were awarded to help new programs reach
sustainability:  $138,095 to the Alaska Center for the Blind and
Visually Impaired (ACBV) for the development of sustainable services in
Mat-Su and $540,000 to Mat-Su Health Services (MSHS) for a pilot project
to fully integrate its primary and behavioral healthcare services beyond
just physical co-location.  


During this three-year project, the ACBV anticipates serving
approximately 100 Valley residents, which represents a 300% increase in
the number of Mat-Su Borough residents they are able to serve at their
Anchorage location.  ACBV serves the entire state but is targeting its
services in the state's fastest growing population base, where a large
number of the recipients are likely to be senior citizens.  

 MSHS has served the borough as the Community Mental Health Center since
1977 and has offered primary care services as a Federally Qualified
Health Center since 2005.  This project allows MSHS to form a team made
up of primary care and behavioral health providers to address the whole
patient and not simply one element of his or her care.  The project will
help create an "open access" to MSHS, where patients can receive same
day appointments or just walk-in for more immediate care; where their
care will be synchronized through an integrated perspective of
behavioral and physical health to optimize health outcomes for the
patient; and where their care will be coordinated in the "medical home"
model being advanced through various health reform initiatives across
the country.   

The remaining five grantees received funding for infrastructure
development related to continuing their nonprofit health-related mission
or to extending services to Mat-Su residents.  Family Centered Services
of Alaska received funding to construct a Mat-Su based clinical and
training center for families and adults to provide care to children in
its therapeutic foster homes serving children with mental health and
behavioral health problems. Covenant House received a grant to purchase
furniture, fixtures and equipment for its new crisis center/emergency
shelter for unaccompanied youth ages 13 to 20.  Southcentral Foundation
will use MSHF grant dollars to construct a playground, exterior
gathering area and walking path at the new Valley Native Primary Care
Center in Wasilla.  Mat-Su Services for Children and Adults, which
provides a wide array of services to individuals with developmental
disabilities (DD), received $500,000 toward construction of a new 18,000
sf facility to serve Mat-Su's growing DD population.  MSHF also awarded
funds for the design phase of a capital improvement project at the
Alaska State Fair to install a new eight-inch sewer line on the
fairgrounds.  The existing system prevented the fair from addressing new
projects to advance agriculture and from using the space for expanded
community purposes.



On many of these projects, the Mat-Su Health Foundation is "first dollar
in" to certify local support and backing that will help leverage
additional capital from other funders, including the State of Alaska.
All these MSHF grants fall in line with four MSHF strategies to create
the healthiest borough in the state:



1.	Reduce barriers to access to healthcare access.
2.	Make progress on Health Alaska goals for Mat-Su.
3.	Increase the capacity of nonprofits operating in the Mat-Su
Borough to address issues of health and wellness.
4.	Increase collaborative relations with funders and stakeholders
in Alaska and other states.





Teri Namtvedt, Chair of MSHF, explains, "We are very glad to partner
with these seven grantees to extend their services and programs to
Mat-Su residents.  These grantees are responding to the significant
population growth in Mat-Su and are working to ensure their services are
accessible to those in need.  All of these organizations have committed
their own funds and resources to these projects as well.  Each of these
agencies demonstrated sound fiscal management to ensure these grant
funds will be used wisely to address the specific program or need."



The MSHF offers Healthy Impact and Target Wellness grant programs to
improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in Mat-Su.  The
Foundation awards Healthy Impact Grants, any request over $15,000, twice
a year.  The next Healthy Impact Grant award cycle commences November
28, 2011, and Project Pitches for this award cycle are due
electronically by 4 p.m. on January 6, 2012.  Target Wellness grant
proposals $15,000 and under are welcomed electronically throughout the
year, and decisions and distributions are usually made within 60 days.
Healthy Impact and Target Wellness grant awards must meet MSHF grant
guidelines.  For more information about any of the MSHF grant programs
and on-line application access, prospective grantees can go to 
www.matsuhealthfoundation.org <http://www.matsuhealthfoundation.org/> .

The Mat-Su Health Foundation is the official business name of Valley
Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional
Medical Center.  In this capacity, the MSHF board members and
representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su's
community hospital and protect the community's interest in this
important healthcare institution through board oversight.  The MSHF
invests its assets into charitable works that improve the health and
wellness of Alaskans living in Mat-Su.  

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