EHF has awarded $1.6 million in grants to 23 nonprofit clinics and other organizations that are on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis serving at-risk communities in Texas. This first round of funding is part of EHF’s $10 million COVID-19 response plan to address the ongoing crisis.
“Communities across Texas are reeling from the medical and economic fallout from COVID-19 and these are clinics and organizations providing critical health care and other health-related services to those who need them the most,” said Elena Marks, EHF’s president and CEO. “In many cases, there’s increased demand for services at a time when the organizations themselves are facing serious financial challenges. These grants are designed to help them continue business operations during the crisis.”
EHF’s COVID-19 grants are supporting community clinics serving low-income Texans, behavioral and mental health organizations, rural health centers, nonprofits offering enrollment in health and other benefit programs, and groups working in early childhood brain development. All of the organizations receiving these COVID-19 grants are current EHF grantees working within the foundation’s strategic plan to improve health, not just health care in Texas. In addition to added demand and additional costs, many of these organizations are also transitioning to telehealth and remote services during the pandemic.
Along with grant funding, EHF’s COVID-19 response plan includes an emergency loan program for grantees, technical assistance to help organizations apply for government aid programs, an extensive research project related to COVID-19 similar to EHF’s groundbreaking survey conducted after Hurricane Harvey, and a pilot program to support those facing social isolation during the ongoing crisis. EHF will announce additional COVID-19 grant recipients in the coming weeks.
“Public health events like COVID-19 are experienced even more deeply by low-income communities or those living in a neighborhood that just doesn’t have access to many different services needed to be healthy,” said Marks. “To do this important work, we know that the organizations and clinics working in these communities and supported by EHF must remain strong and effective both now and in the future.”
EHF’s first round of COVID-19 grants
Community Clinics:
These clinics operate on the front lines and are sustaining significant financial losses as a result of decreased reimbursement and increased expenses associated with response to the pandemic. Grants will fund personnel-related costs, equipment, and new and emergency needs in order to continue patient care.
Access Health (Fort Bend County)
$100,000
Avenue 360 Health & Wellness (Houston)
$100,000
Baylor College of Medicine Teen Health Clinic at Wisdom High School (Houston)
$50,000
Community Health Network (Brazoria County)
$100,000
Family Health Center (Waco)
$100,000
Legacy Community Health (Houston)
$100,000
Lone Star Circle of Care (Central Texas)
$100,000
Lone Star Family Health Center (Conroe)
$85,846
Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program (MEHOP) (Bay City)
$100,000
Spring Branch Community Health Center (Harris County)
$100,000
Vecino Health Centers (Harris County)
$100,000
Enrollment & Benefits Assistance:
These organizations work to enroll individuals and families for health insurance and other benefit programs and are experiencing large increases in demand during the COVID-19 crisis. Grants will fund additional technology, equipment and other related costs for enrollment services and to begin remote assistance for those services.
The Beacon (Houston)
$70,000
Boat People S.O.S. (Houston)
$10,000
Epiphany Community Health Outreach Services (ECHOS) (Houston)
$70,000
Memorial Assistance Ministries (Harris County)
$70,000
Northwest Assistance Ministries (Harris County)
$50,000
Mental & Behavioral Health:
A local mental health authority and two stand-alone behavioral health organizations serve patients in rural communities with few health resources. Grants will provide personnel and equipment support to continue providing patient care, including realignment to telehealth services.
Community Healthcore (Longview)
$100,000
Samaritan Counseling Center of East Texas (Tyler)
$45,000
Samaritan Counseling Center of Southeast Texas (Port Arthur)
$48,850
Other areas:
Austin Interfaith Sponsoring Committee, Inc (Austin)
$60,000
The organization activates communities by raising its voice on inequality issues including evictions, utility cut-offs, Medicaid coverage, healthcare access and COVID-19 testing impacting underserved families during the pandemic. The organization is experiencing losses due to increased expenses associated with response and the grant is to fund additional personnel costs, and equipment needs in order to continue serving vulnerable communities.
Nurse Family Partnership (Various Counties)
$24,000
Grantee provides programs and services in alignment with EHF’s strategy to optimize early childhood brain development and is adapting work to maintain critical supports in response to the pandemic. Grant is to fund equipment expenses related to connecting with families remotely.
Palacios Community Medical Center (Palacios)
$25,000
Rural health clinic associated with hospital system operating in small rural community serving low-income patients. Grant is to support personnel as clinic experiences reduction in patient revenue due to pandemic.
Santa Maria Hostel, Inc. (Houston)
$70,000
Grantee provides programs and services in alignment with EHF’s strategy to optimize early childhood brain development and is adapting work to maintain critical supports in response to the pandemic. Grant is to fund personnel-related costs, equipment, new and emergency needs, and other expenses.
