A $500,000 Grant Will Enhance Technology at Holy Cross

The Verizon Foundation contributed $500,000 toward a technology upgrade at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, which will significantly improve the hospital’s efficiency, increase accuracy of patient records, and improve overall health-care delivery. Verizon’s two-year grant will help establish a kiosk in the hospital’s emergency room that will allow patients to check themselves in – in either English or Spanish – cutting their wait time and improving accuracy of the patients’ information. The grant will also fund an outreach program to help uninsured patients find cost-effective primary health alternatives to treatment in the emergency room, and will enable the purchase of new software for computers in the medical center’s 142-bed expansion, which is scheduled to open in 2011. The computer system will enable staff to print identification bracelets at a patient’s bedside and help ensure all laboratory orders and tests are matched with the correct patient. “Verizon’s generosity will help take Providence Holy Cross Medical Center into the future,” said Arnold R. Schaffer, Providence Health & Services’ senior vice president and regional chief executive. “And with our entire nation so focused on health care, this gift is a shining illustration of how private enterprise can work with health care providers in reaching out to those most in need.” Domestic Violence: The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, also donated $42,500 to Antelope Valley Hospital. The grant will support the expansion of services at the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Center, funding training and continuing education for forensic nurse examiners. In addition, the grant will provide a second hi-tech, forensic camera system to be used for domestic violence cases, as well as a portable documentation station. Currently, the Antelope Valley has the highest number of reported domestic violence cases in Los Angeles County. Grant: The S. Mark Taper Foundation contributed $250,000 to support the expansion of health education programs at Partners in Care, a San Fernando non-profit organization. The funds will support the construction of the S. Mark Taper Health Innovation Center on the Partners in Care site. The new facility will house programs such as Healthier Living, a program offering chronic disease self management tools to individuals living with illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis; and Matter of Balance, a program which uses strengthening exercises to increase stability and prevent falls. “The S. Mark Taper Foundation is extremely proud to lend its name and provide support for expansion of Partners very successful health education programs and services for low-income and aging populations,” said Ray Reisler, executive director of the S. Mark Taper Foundation. “This new facility will provide much needed health education resources to local community members.” With the expansion of its facilities in San Fernando, Partners will be positioned to grow and deliver an even greater array of programs. The facility is scheduled to be completed by April 2010. Education: Child Care Resource Center’s Head Start program will serve an additional 184 children starting in January, 2010, thanks to new grant funding from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Los Angeles County Office of Education and 1st Five Los Angeles. CCRS’c programs will now help 1,386 three and four year olds prepare for school through half or full day preschool experiences, and provide children and their families services that also include health, mental health, nutrition and disabilities. Over the last five years, CCRC has grown from serving 400 kids to helping 1484 children today, and is among the largest nonprofit organizations in the San Fernando Valley. CCRC is expected to open two additional preschools at the Dennis P. Zine Community Center in Canoga Park and Cohasset Elementary in Van Nuys bringing the total number of CCRC Head Start locations to 16 throughout the San Fernando Valley. “We continue to look for ways to grow our programs and services as we feel a great responsibility to help strengthen families and invest in thousands of our future community leaders,” said Dr. Michael Olenick, CCRC’s President and CEO. Van Nuys: The Center for Living and Learning received a donation of $2500 from the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council in support of the nonprofits’ efforts to serve disadvantaged individuals needing employment assistance. The contribution was the first of its kind for the Center which has supported itself through the operation of a nationwide car donation program. However vehicle donations dropped considerably this past year due to the economy and the Center has begun seeking funds from grants and individual contributions. The Center, which focuses mainly on helping those people transitioning from treatment centers, prisoner re-entry programs and welfare-to-work clients find stable employment, has helped over 150 clients since 2001. The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council hopes to be the first of many to step up to assist the Van Nuys charity during a difficult fundraising climate. Therapy: Rancho St. Francis, operated by the Hogan Family Foundation in Newbury Park, received the first annual Ruth Ellis Service Award for its dedication and service to the women of Daybreak, a 20-year-old social services organization dedicated to helping women recovering from homelessness and mental illness. Rancho St. Francis supports Daybreak through its horse therapy program which gives women an opportunity to learn to care for and ride horses, while allowing them to rebuild their self esteem and rediscover themselves. The Hogan Family Foundation also operates a number of other humanitarian, civic, philanthropic, and educational programs, including horsemanship and riding programs for abused, neglected, and at-risk women and children, dog rescue and therapy programs, Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks, and entrepreneurship programs through Gonzaga and Chaminade universities. The Ruth Ellis Service Award is named after a long-time, beloved Daybreak volunteer coordinator, who passed away last year. Preventative Care: Following the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Simi Valley Hospital will offer a series of free community lectures this year to offer information on preventable diseases and treatments available. The first lecture will discuss steps to protect health, finances and a family’s future and will be offered by Doctors Bryan Davidson and George Carbone. The lecture hopes to help attendees prevent the cascade of medical problems that often accompany a serious illness. It will be held Jan. 28 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Alamo Hills Medical Group – located at 2876 N. Sycamore Drive, Suite 101, Simi Valley. For information call (805) 955-6958 or visit www.simivalleyhospital.com. Encino: Huntington Learning Center in Encino was recently identified as a “Favorite Place” on Google, as a reflection of the high demand for the Center’s services in assisting students who are struggling with their school work. Google’s Favortie Place program helps promote local businesses by identifying the most popular local businesses based on how many Google users looked for information about that business, including searching for driving directions. Google then provides the business with a window decal that may be displayed on the business property for all customers to see, and which includes a special bar code that may be scanned by cell phone cameras to offer additional information on the business. According to Google, which made the announcement to the Center late December, between July 1 and September 30, Google users found Huntington Learning Center business listing 3122 times, and requested driving directions or other information about the Center 616 times.