REACH Awards Grants to Support Care Connection

The REACH Foundation this week announced grants totaling $399,000 to nine organizations that use care connector services to help low-income and medically underserved individuals secure the care they need.

In keeping with the foundation’s recent decision to simplify grant application and decision processes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, REACH awarded the 12-month grants based on the organizations’ prior work in delivering essential services to populations that frequently face barriers to health care. The nine organizations had received care connector grants in 2019.

“The current health crisis has created an unprecedented strain on our region’s health and human services safety net,” said Brenda Sharpe, REACH President and CEO. “The foundation made a decision to adjust its usual process to reduce the pressure on these important health partners and ensure continuity of care for the clients they serve.”

Sharpe said the funded organizations were given the flexibility of using the funds for their care connector services or to deploy them in other areas to meet new health care demands.

“Our communications with these and other grantees have reinforced the foundation’s commitment to making our grantmaking processes more efficient and responsive,” Sharpe said. “These organizations work with populations that face particular hurdles to health care, including homeless youth and adults, migrant farmworkers, immigrants and refugees, and people living in rural communities.”

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Kansas

• Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas — $45,000
• El Centro, Inc. — $45,000
• KidsTLC, Inc. — $45,000

Missouri

• Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County — $45,000
• Jewish Vocational Service, Inc. — $45,000
• Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund — $45,000
• ReDiscover, Inc. — $40,000
• reStart, Inc. — $44,000
• Synergy Services, Inc. — $45,000