FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 30, 2000

For further information, contact:
Susan G. Zepeda
Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 714-245-1650
Fax: 714-245-1653

FOUR LOCAL PROGRAMS RECEIVE "HEALTHY ORANGE COUNTY" AWARDS

March 30, 2000 - The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County has awarded funding to four innovative local programs, to assist them in addressing health needs of low-income families in central Orange County.

Campfire Boys and Girls received a grant of $10,000 to support "Smart Choices," an after-school program designed to reduce teen pregnancy, violence and "risky behavior" in middle schoolers.

Legal Aid Society obtained a grant of $10,000 in support of their collaborative efforts to develop five multilingual videos, to help low income families learn how to use the health care system effectively, how to obtain preventive services, and obtain health insurance for which they are eligible.

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Orange County received $5,272 in support of their Family to Family Education Program, to help family members learn how to provide care, support and advocacy for their adolescent child who has mental illness, and to develop a new teen peer support component for the program.

The VNA (Visiting Nurses Association) Home Health Systems has been awarded $4000 to assist in initiating a maternal/infant support group program, to improve bonding between mothers and their infants who were treated in neonatal intensive care units immediately after birth.

Previous Healthy Orange County grants, made by the Foundation during their first year of giving (1999-2000), have included:

A 6-month planning grant ($9,672) to MOMS, to design a comprehensive class for mothers and babies, to help identify developmental delays and teach mothers strategies to enhance their infants' growth and development.
$10,000 to the Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center for expansion of their "Welcome Baby" program.
Funding to the Pediatric Adolescent Diabetes Research & Education (PADRE) Program for diabetic nutrition classes in English and Spanish ($5400).
$9,975 to STOP-GAP, to underwrite the costs of 21 interactive teen health presentations in central Orange County schools.
$5,000 to the Tustin Community Foundation's TAFFY Collaboration, a 22-member agency partnership, to help underwrite the costs of needed pediatric dental care for low-income families.
The Foundation's large grant program, "Partners for Health," has made grants in support of collaborative community health service projects of CHOC (primary care at the Santa Ana Boys and Girls Club), Hoag Hospital Presbyterian (Casa de Salud, in Santa Ana), St. Joseph Hospital (Delhi Center health services), and UCI Medical Center (Anaheim prenatal clinic).
The HealthCare Foundation for Orange County is a private, nonprofit foundation, funded by the proceeds of the sale of United Western Medical Centers to Tenet, as well as direct donations and charitable trusts. The Foundation's charitable mission is to assist low-income families in central Orange County to obtain needed health information and treatment.
Proposals under the "Healthy Orange County" grants program are reviewed quarterly. The cut-off date for the next round of applications is April 17, 2000. Further information on the program may be obtained by calling (714) 245-1650 or logging on to the Foundation's website at www.hfoc.org.