MCF Announces $1.25 Million in Grants from Sutter Health Access to Care Fund

March 31, 2010

contact: Fred Silverman (415.464.2527 or via email)

The Marin Community Foundation (MCF) has announced its first round of grants from the recently established Sutter Health Access to Care Fund, a partnership between the Foundation and the Sutter Health network of Northern California doctors and hospitals.

Grants totaling $1.25 million will enable uninsured and under-insured residents in Marin to receive oral health care and vaccinations, as well as benefit from the integration of care when they have both medical and behavioral health problems.

“Together, this first round of grants will have an immediate impact on both the short-term and long-term health of thousands of Marin residents who don’t have adequate health insurance,” said MCF President Dr. Thomas Peters. “By focusing on these three areas of critical need, we will be helping people whose medical problems could easily become more severe without treatment.”

A grant of $500,000 to the Marin Community Clinics will triple the number of visits by adult patients that it can accommodate at its two dental facilities in San Rafael and Novato, to 3,500 annually. “Now,” says executive director John Shen, “our patients need to make an appointment three months in advance. And in the meantime, they often seek treatment at hospital emergency rooms, which are neither clinically appropriate nor cost-effective for this type of care.”

“Nationwide, many people have lost their dental insurance and cannot afford to pay for dental care on their own,” stated Peters. “As a result, oral health problems are often not treated, and this can contribute to other serious medical problems, including heart disease and diabetes. In Marin, our public health officials tell us that dental disease is the number one unmet health care need of uninsured and under-insured residents.”

A grant of $250,000 will fund vaccinations for at least 1,250 adults over the next year. These will help ensure immunity for diseases such as whooping cough, infectious hepatitis, pneumonia, and the virus that causes cervical cancer.

The vaccinations will be provided by licensed community health clinics throughout the county, with oversight by the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.

“This is an essential component of ensuring the long-term health of people in Marin,” said Dr. Larry Meredith, Director of Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. “A simple vaccination prevents many life-threatening diseases.”

Additionally, $500,000 in grants will help vulnerable Marin residents access a range of health services, with their primary care physicians at community clinics referring them to behavioral health services and substance abuse treatment, as needed. According to Peters, individuals with concurrent health problems often have episodes of illness that are more clinically severe and much more costly, frequently involving repeated emergency room visits.

Services provided under this integrated approach to health care will be offered by Coastal Health Alliance, Marin Community Clinics, and Ritter Center. The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services will coordinate these services and establish protocols for the delivery of care.

“Everyone in the Sutter Health family is thrilled about this first round of grants,” said Martin Brotman, M.D., president of Sutter Health’s West Bay Region. “The Foundation, in close consultation with the county health department, worked quickly and collaboratively to identify these urgent medical needs. We are confident that the network of community-based health clinics will now be able to offer even more comprehensive treatment to the patients they serve.”

“This is a promising beginning to our partnership with Sutter Health,” added Peters. “We are grateful that their charitable generosity allows the Foundation to offer this immediate support to the clinical service providers whose compassion and competency contribute mightily to the health of the entire community.”

To hear an interview with Dr. Tomas Peters and Martin Brotman, M.D. about the partnership between Sutter Health and MCF, listen to the podcast on this page.