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EHF completes final round of grants in a $6 million response to the COVID-19 crisis in Texas

Funding helped more than 60 clinics and organizations working on the front lines serving at-risk communities through medical care, benefit assistance, and raising community voices.

Funding helped more than 60 clinics and organizations working on the front lines serving at-risk communities through medical care, benefit assistance, and raising community voices

EHF has awarded the final round of grants in a $6 million response to help 64 nonprofit clinics and other organizations that are serving at-risk communities in Texas on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. This grant funding is one part of the foundation’s $10 million comprehensive plan addressing the crisis across the state.

“These organizations continue to provide medical and health services to low-income Texas families who are being most impacted by the pandemic,” said Elena Marks, EHF’s president and CEO.

“COVID-19 has highlighted how non-medical, community factors are often the root causes of poor health, including chronic diseases that leave people more vulnerable to public health events and disasters. The urgency to address these social and community factors has never been greater. This work can’t be done without our partners and this funding is helping these organizations remain strong through the pandemic.”

People’s Community Clinic in Austin

EHF’s COVID-19 grants supported community clinics serving low-income Texans, behavioral and mental health organizations, nonprofits offering enrollment in health and other benefit programs, organizations promoting early childhood brain development, and groups raising community voice on health inequality issues. All of the organizations that received these COVID-19 grants are current EHF grantees working within the foundation’s strategic plan to improve health, not just health care in Texas. In addition to added demand and additional costs, many of these organizations are also transitioning to telehealth and remote services during the pandemic.

Along with grant funding, EHF’s COVID-19 response plan includes an emergency loan program for grantees, technical assistance to help organizations apply for government aid programs, and an extensive research project related to COVID-19 similar to EHF’s groundbreaking survey conducted after Hurricane Harvey that will be released later this fall.


EHF COVID-19 grant recipients

Family Health Center in Waco

Community Clinics:
These clinics operate on the front lines and are sustaining significant financial losses as a result of decreased reimbursement and increased expenses associated with response to the pandemic. Grants will fund personnel-related costs, equipment, and new and emergency needs in order to continue patient care.

AccessHealth (Fort Bend County)
$185,000

Avenue 360 Health & Wellness (Houston)
$100,000

Baylor College of Medicine – Teen Health Clinic (Houston)
$100,000

CommUnityCare (Austin)
$100,000

Community Health Network (Alvin)
$185,000

El Centro de Corazon (Houston)
$170,000

Family Health Center (Waco)
$185,000

Genesis PrimeCare (Marshall)
$100,000

HOPE Clinic (Houston)
$170,000

Legacy Community Health (Houston)
$185,000

Lone Star Circle of Care (Austin)
$185,000

Lone Star Family Health Center (Conroe)
$85,846

Matagorda Episcopal Health Outreach Program (MEHOP) (Bay City)
$185,000

Northwest Assistance Ministries (Houston)
$100,000

Palacios Community Medical Center (Palacios)
$25,000

People’s Community Clinic (Austin)
$170,000

Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (Houston)
$104,800

Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas (Tyler and Waco)
$65,000

Spring Branch Community Health Center (Houston)
$185,000

St. Paul Children’s Foundation (Tyler)
$50,000

Tejas Health Care (La Grange)
$50,000

The Rose (Houston)
$100,000

Vecino Health Centers (Houston)
$185,000

 

Early Childhood Brain Development:
Partners provide programs and services in alignment with EHF’s strategy to improve maternal health outcomes and optimize early childhood brain development and is adapting work to maintain critical supports in response to the pandemic. Grants will fund equipment and new and emergency needs.

Partners in Parenting, Austin

AVANCE Austin
$30,000

Angelina County & Cities Health District (Nacogdoches)
$90,000

Episcopal Relief and Development
$50,000

Nurse Family Partnership (Statewide)
$92,800

Mama Sana Vibrant Woman (Austin)
$25,000

Partners in Parenting (Austin)
$22,320

Rupani Foundation (Houston)
$32,000

Santa Maria Hostel (Houston)
$140,000

 

Enrollment & Benefits Assistance:
These organizations work to enroll individuals and families for health insurance and other benefit programs and are experiencing large increases in demand during the COVID-19 crisis. Grants will fund additional technology, equipment and other related costs for enrollment services and to begin remote assistance for those services.

ECHOS, Houston

The Beacon of Downtown Houston
$145,187

Boat People S.O.S (Houston)
$10,000

Casa Marianella (Austin)
$90,000

ECHOS (Houston)
$130,000

Every Texan (Austin)
$77,810

Foundation Communities (Austin)
$70,000

Memorial Assistance Ministries (Houston)
$130,000

North Pasadena Community Outreach (Pasadena)
$56,062

SEARCH Homeless Services (Houston)
$133,383

 

Mental & Behavioral Health:
Local mental health authorities, behavioral health organizations, and advocacy groups. Grants will provide personnel and equipment support to allow them to continue providing patient care, including realignment to telehealth services.

Andrews Center (Tyler)
$100,000

Community Healthcore (Longview)
$144,027

The Council on Recovery (Houston)
$100,000

Family Service Center (Galveston)
$50,000

Integral Care (Austin)
$100,000

Mental Health America of Greater Houston
$75,000

Network of Behavioral Health Providers, Inc. (Houston)
$25,000

Samaritan Counseling Center of East Texas (Tyler)
$95,000

Samaritan Counseling Center of Southeast Texas (Port Arthur)
$92,900

Spindletop Center (Beaumont)
$100,000

Texana Center (Fort Bend County)
$75,000

 

Raising Community Voice:
Partner raises community voice on inequality issues impacting underserved families during the pandemic and is experiencing revenue loss and increased expenses associated with response. Grants will fund personnel related costs and equipment needs to continue serving under-resourced communities.

Austin Interfaith Sponsoring Committee
$60,600

Avenue Community Development Corporation (Houston)
$25,500

Communities for Better Health (Houston)
$30,580

Go! Austin/Vamos! Austin
$70,000

Gulf Coast Leadership Council (Houston)
$61,300

Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation (Houston)
$18,000

Texas Organizing Project Education Fund (Houston)
$20,000

The Immunization Partnership (Statewide)
$30,000

Young Invincibles (Statewide)
$117,260

 

Other organizations:

 BakerRipley (Houston)
$97,325
Community service organization rapidly responding to maintain services to community members. Grant supports equipment needs to continue serving under-resourced communities.

Children’s Defense Fund (Statewide)
$25,000
Partner offers systems level advocacy and benefits enrollment service to address access to comprehensive care for underserved populations in pronounced need during the pandemic. Grant supports equipment and personnel-related costs.

Northeast Texas Public Health District (Tyler)
$92,300
Public health department operates on the front lines and is sustaining significant financial losses as a result of increased expenses associated with response to the pandemic. Grant supports personnel-related costs and equipment.

The Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (Statewide)
$100,000
Partner offers frontline provider training and systems level advocacy to address access to comprehensive care for underserved populations in pronounced need during the pandemic. Grant supports personnel-related costs.