The following organizations received grants in one of the four Health Trust priority areas:
Diabetes and Contributing Factors
PVUSD/Starlight, Cesar Chavez & HA Hyde Nutrition Collaborative – $15,000 to support the partnership between Starlight Elementary, Cesar Chavez Middle School, and HA Hyde Elementary schools to empower youth and prevent diabetes and obesity by providing culturally relevant cooking/nutrition classes, Life Lab Garden enrichment, food security programs, and physical fitness programs.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers – $15,000 to support the continuing efforts of institutionalizing a comprehensive Farm to School program that will increase the availability and consumption of fruit and vegetables among low-income students grades K-12 in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.
Mesa Verde Gardens – $15,000 to support the creation of two new Community Gardens that will serve 50 families and help meet basic food security needs by increasing access to pesticide-free, organic, fresh fruits and vegetables.
United Way of Santa Cruz County – $6,000 to support phase two of the Healthy Corner Market Project that will work with Vicky’s Produce in taking the next step in creating a healthy corner market by implementing and marketing a healthy Juice Bar.
Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County – $8,850 to support the pilot program, Beat Back Diabetes, which will provide physical activity, education, incentives and a weight loss challenge to adults with psychiatric disabilities.
Watsonville Family YMCA – $15,000 to support the new Pajaro Park in providing coaches and instructors for the youth sports and recreation programs, physical fitness classes, and financial assistance to pay for fees for low-income Pajaro residents.
Access to Care
Coastal Kids Home Care – $5,000 to support in-home pediatric nursing, therapeutic, and social services visits for medically fragile children from migrant and other low-income families residing in the Pajaro Valley.
Family Service Agency of the Central Coast – $12,500 to support the Open Arms/Abrazo Abiertos project that will provide free or low cost mental health care services to Latina cancer patients, survivors of child sexual abuse, seniors, and provide individual counseling for Latino families in the Pajaro Valley.
Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services – $10,000 to provide bilingual mental health services to families of children with cancer through art therapy in their homes or in group classes.
Oral Health
Dientes Community Dental Care – $10,000 to provide Dental Care for Uninsured Pajaro Valley Adults that will increase the number of Pajaro Valley residents with access to comprehensive dental care and also provide oral health education at the Watsonville Women Infants and Children (WIC) program participants.
Encompass Community Services – $9,000 to support the development and implementation of the Boca Felice-Parent Mentoring Project that will promote preventative oral health care education for low-income families.
Salud Para La Gente – $8,650 to support the delivery of oral health screening outreach to low-income farm workers in the Pajaro Valley. Initial outreach will bring dental teams to agricultural fields for screenings and cleanings. Comprehensive dental treatment follow-ups will be completed in the clinic or mobile van.
Health Professions
Watsonville/Aptos Adult Education – $9,000 to support the From Field Hands to Helping Hands program. This vocational training class will increase the bi-lingual/bi-cultural workforce in the Pajaro Valley by providing introductory skills and knowledge required to work as caregivers. Students will learn hands-on skills, communication, medical technology and CPR/First Aid certification.
Watsonville High School Health Academy – $5,000 to continue to help students at Watsonville High School pursue their goals of advancing in health professions. Students will be able to participate in mentor/student dinners that the school will host semi-annually to expose students to professionals who work in the careers that students might be interested in.
The Health Trust also provided $6,000 this year in scholarships to students from the Pajaro Valley pursuing careers in the health professions. Scholarships were given to students from Aptos High School, Pajaro Valley High School, Watsonville High School, Watsonville/Aptos Adult Education and Cabrillo College.
The Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust (www.pvhealthtrust.org) in Watsonville, California is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit public-benefit health care foundation. The Health Trust’s mission is to improve the health and quality of life for all people of the Pajaro Valley by supporting programs and activities that ensure access to a full array of high quality, culturally competent health care services that promote health, wellness, and disease prevention.