Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Sykes
May 20, 2010 PHONE: 816-241-7006

Health Care Foundation Announces Healthy Lifestyle Grants Totaling $3.25 Million

Grants Propose System Level Changes to Address Leading Causes of Preventable Death

KANSAS CITY, MO - At its board meeting today, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (HCF) awarded 27 Healthy Lifestyles grants totaling over $3.25 million. Through these grants, HCF aims to address the leading causes of preventable death, namely physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use.

"HCF is proud to support local community agencies and partnerships that increase opportunities for physical activity, improve access to affordable healthy foods for children and families and address tobacco use through integrated changes in policies, norms, practices, social supports and the physical environment," said Steve Roling, HCF President/CEO.

In November, HCF released its Healthy Lifestyles Request for Proposals. Although HCF has been awarding Healthy Lifestyle grants for four years, the 2010 RFP specifically asked agencies to place a special emphasis on creating healthier communities through partnerships that address policies and environments that lead to systems and social norms that support healthy eating and active living for children and families.

"Although the Foundation encourages and supports education surrounding healthy lifestyles, we realize it is not enough to just tell people to eat better and exercise. We need to create systems that encourage such opportunities," said Roling. "We are excited to award grants this year that address safety and the built environment and include diverse sectors such as public health, planners, schools, law enforcement and community groups."

The Foundation received a total of 67 proposals totaling $11.9 in requests. The following grants were awarded:

Agency Amount Awarded Project Description 

City of Kansas City, MO

$244,525

The City of Kansas City, Missouri Public Works department will provide leadership to and coordinate project activities with the City Planning, Health and Youth Advocacy departments and Hickman Mills School District to facilitate policy and behavior change addressing the lack of infrastructure and programs that support a vibrant, active, healthy environment for residents.

Communities Creating Opportunity

$53,000

The Holy Ground, Sacred Lives Campaign and Project Live Well address violence, crime prevention and access to quality food products in the Northeast Corridor and Santa Fe Neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. Specific goals include the creation of safe places, recreational activities and access to a quality grocery store.

 

Cross-Lines Cooperative Council, Inc.

$29,478

The Cross-Lines Community Outreach, Inc., is located within the Armourdale neighborhood of Kansas City, KS and will use an interactive curriculum called Food for Your Family, which has been developed by the Food Stamp Program. Food for Your Family will be used for all classes to teach the low-income population about nutrition, physical activity, food budgeting knowledge, cooking skills, recipe reading, food safety, and meal planning skills.

Curators of the University of Missouri

$200,114

Two-year grant will support the University of Missouri Extension School Food Policy, Food From the Farm and Early Sprouts program. This program works with schools in the Kansas City, Missouri School District to connect children to the source of food and explore cooking.

DeLaSalle Education Center in partnership with the University of Kansas Medical Center

$54,500

DeLaSalle’s Healthy Lifestyles Project educates students about importance of good nutrition and exercise and helps them use this information to adopt healthy eating habits and increase physical activity.

El Centro

$121,580

Expansion of the Health Promotores Program that works with Latinos to participate in weight management programs.

Emmanuel Child Development Center

$50,000

Two-year grant for Project E.A.C.H. (Empowering All Children to Health). This project will work with youth at Central High School and their families to increase physical activity, healthy eating habits and food security. Project E.A.C.H will provide participants with 90 minutes a day, three days a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity in conjunction with 30 minutes a day, three days a week nutrition and healthy eating classes through their community garden project.

First Call Alcohol Drug Prevention and Recovery

$235,011

Two-year grant is for the Kansas City Youth and Mercantile Alliance (KCYMA) which will work with area merchants and parents in Kansas City, Missouri, Cass and Lafayette Counties to reduce the sale of tobacco products to youth.

Greater Kansas City Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

$72,120

The Neighborhoods NOW Health Advocacy Initiative will work with three neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri and three neighborhoods in Kansas City, KS to advance policies issues designed to promote healthy eating and active living. Examples include park improvements and cleaning up vacant lots.

Guadalupe Center, Inc.

$194,590

Two-year grant will allow Guadalupe Center to partner with the Kansas City, MO Parks and Recreation Department to assume management of the Tony Aguirre Community Center, with a goal of increase community participation in physical activities.

Harvesters – The Community Food Network

$200,000

Funding will support Harvesters’ nutrition education and healthy eating programs, Project Strength and Kids in the Kitchen/Kids Café. Will also support a new pilot program called Teen Eats. These programs include hands-on cooking lessons, healthy recipes, information about nutrition and nutritious food, as well as teen-focused "hot topics" like body image.

Evergreen Living Innovations, Inc.

$50,000

Provides in-house mental health treatment through Johnson County Mental Health.

Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture

$46,000

Grant will support advocacy, public education and outreach work by the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture.

Kansas City Community Gardens, Inc.

$111,750

Two-year grant is for the Schoolyards Gardens program, which enables schools, after care providers and community agencies in the development of gardens throughout the metropolitan area.

Kansas City Public Television 10 (KCPT)

$110,780

Funding will support KCPT and the Mid-America Regional Council to co-produce a yearlong television series to provide a vision of what the region can become through citizen engagement, education and policy change.

Kansas City Urban Youth Center in partnership with Calvary Community Outreach Network, Resource Development Institute, Urban Kansas City Community for Cycling

$100,000

Kansas City Urban Youth Center will provide services to low-income, predominantly African-American, urban youth and families that are members of the KC Urban Youth Center and Calvary Community Outreach Network's after school program. The primary purpose of this intervention is to equip the students and their parents to make healthy food choices at home and at school.

Menorah Legacy Foundation

$50,000

Grant will support the Beans and Greens Project, a collaborative working to double the purchasing power of those on food assistance at area farmer markets. The goal of the project is to create greater access to fruits and vegetables as well as to draw new customers to the markets, thereby increasing the demand for local goods.

Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)

$100,000

Project will focus on policy development around built environment and infrastructure in Kansas City and Raytown, Missouri. MARC will provide research, dialogue and training opportunities around complete streets (safe for walking and biking for local governments.

ReDiscover

$181,500

ReDiscover, partnering with the Lees Summit Cares Coalition, will implement a community wide approach to smoking prevention and treatment. The goals are to increase youth perception of tobacco harm, pass and enforce ordinances to reduce access by youth, and to adopt policies that reduce youth exposure to tobacco.

reStart, Inc. in partnership with Lincoln University, KCMO Parks and Recreation and the Gregg/Klice Community Center

$83,073

reStart's Healthy Choices program is designed to encourage and instill healthy living habits for 800 homeless children and youth we serve by providing physical activity programs and nutritional education and planning classes to combat childhood obesity.

Rosedale Development Association, Inc., I partnership with MARC, Healthy Kids Initiative, Kansas City Design Center, KC Healthy Kids, KU Medical Center-Dept. of Internal of Medicine

$109,478

This grant will develop a comprehensive master plan encompassing both physical and social environments for a Green Corridor running 3.9 miles in Wyandotte County, KS. This project aims to increase access to affordable food and physical activity; to make the Corridor safer, cleaner and more pedestrian and bicycle friendly; to help Rosedale's children be healthy and active; and to change policies affecting the physical and social environment through education and advocacy.

Score 1 for Health

$90,000

Grant will support Score 1 as it focuses on health screening, referral and follow up efforts on children in neighborhoods of greatest need.

The Children’s Mercy Hospital

$75,000

Grant will support the Weighing in on Childhood Obesity project, a Kansas City based model that addresses community collaboration in serving primarily inner-city, underserved 0-18 year olds and their families. The collaborative includes: universities, schools, health departments and community service organizations.

The Society of St. Andrew, Inc.

$175,000

Grant will support SoSA as it coordinates the acquisition, shipment and delivery of large volume loads of donated produce to food banks and agencies, including Harvesters.

The University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.

$174,912

Two-year grant will expand the scope and impact of the Latino Health for All Coalition to romote healthy lifestyles in Kansas City, KS. The coalition seeks to reduce health disparities among low-income medically underserved Latinos at risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The process will support intermediate and long term outcomes that engage community active participation in community gardens, physical activities, nutrition, and safe sites for healthy activities.

Tri-County Mental Health

$150,000

Two-year grant will implement a Tobacco Prevention Partnership Initiative that will target 147,025 residents in Kansas City, Missouri, north of the river. TCMHS will partner with the Kansas City, Missouri police department and the health departments to change existing social norms that serve to promote underage tobacco use. This community wide initiative will include: community education, social marketing and social norming, tobacco retailer education training, compliance checks, local and statewide advocacy and promotion and expansion of area cessation programs needed to reduce tobacco by Kansas City.

Unified School District 257 in partnership with Elm Creek Community Garden

$168,351

Grant will support SAFE BASE’s Fit and Fun program, which provides programming around fitness and nutrition issues for children in the Iola School District. Activities are provided both during the summer and after school while school is in session. SAFE BASE will partner with the Elm Creek Community Garden and USD 257 Food Service to implement a pilot school-based gardening, nutrition project to access current attainment and delivery methods of providing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Wyandotte/Leavenworth Area Agency on Aging in partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College Wellness Program and the YMCA

$40,738

Grant will help the agency expand its senior health promotion efforts in Wyandotte County. HCF funding will pay for exercise bands and mats, 150 scholarships for low income seniors to the Wellness Center at the Kansas City Community College, semi-monthly services from a registered nurse and a dietician, and 312 personal trainer sessions.

 

The Healthy Lifestyles grants are the first Foundation Defined Grants (FDGs) awarded by the Foundation in 2010. Mental health grants will be announced in July 2010. HCF will announce its final RFP of the year, Safety Net Healthcare, in July. For more information, visit the Foundation’s website at www.healthcare4kc.org.

-HCF-

ABOUT HCF

The Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City provides leadership, advocacy and resources that eliminate barriers to quality health for the uninsured and underserved in Kansas City, Missouri, Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri and Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. Since it began grantmaking in 2005, HCF has awarded nearly $100 million to agencies addressing health needs in the community. For more information, visit www.healthcare4kc.org.