Health and Human Services

Below are recent grants made to Health and Human Services organizations through the Foundation's Competitve Grants program. To find local Health and Human Services organizations, view our Nonprofit Directory or click here for a list of nonprofit websites.

American Red Cross of Wyoming – Bridger-Teton Branch
Emergency Preparedness Education
$10,000
In 2009, The Bridger-Teton Branch of the Red Cross provided health and safety training to 2,700 Jackson Hole residents. This training gives individuals the skills and confidence to save a life during a medical emergency in a variety of settings including day-care centers, private homes, and businesses. Many employees must take health and safety classes in order to meet licensing and government regulatory requirements and, currently, the branch manager cannot meet the demand in a timely manner. This grant will partially fund the salary of a part-time health and safety instructor who can teach these important classes.

Boundless
Opportunities for Children
$1,200

For ten years, the BOUNDLESS program has provided children and teens in Teton County with access to affordable enrichment opportunities in music, arts, education and athletics. Funds from this grant will be used to enroll additional students in these valuable programs.

Children’s Learning Center
Student Scholarships
$20,000
Aside from home care providers, Children’s Learning Center offers the least expensive childcare in Teton County, yet many families struggle to pay tuition. With 21 children already on scholarship, Children’s Learning Center will not increase tuition costs for the upcoming school year. Funds from this grant will ensure that more families have access to financial aid and that children already on scholarship will continue to receive assistance.

Community Resource Center
Latino Case Manager
$13,000
Due to a steep increase of Spanish-speaking clients last summer, the Community Resource Center hired a temporary part-time Latino Case Manager through funds from a private donor. These funds have been depleted, yet the need for this position still exists as the number of Spanish speakers requesting aid continues to rise. With funds from this grant, the Community Resource Center will continue to employ a part-time, Spanish speaking case manager for 20 hours per week through the end of the year.

Curran-Seeley Foundation
Client Program Scholarships
$10,000
In this economy, treatment for addiction and substance abuse is very difficult to afford. Many people being treated at Curran-Seeley are unable to finish their programs due to an inability to pay. Completion of these programs is essential to overcoming addiction and substance abuse, and people who do not finish are far more likely to relapse. This grant will fund client scholarships to increase timely client success, promote effective group size and stabilize fee income for local drug and alcohol treatment programs.

El Puente
Assuring Quality Healthcare for All
$18,000
Approximately 2,400 people in Teton County do not speak enough English to communicate well with their doctors. El Puente provides medical interpretation services for all healthcare providers in all healthcare settings in Teton County free of charge. These services enable the healthcare system to respond cost effectively to the changing demographics of our community and prevent expensive medical errors due to miscommunication. Grant funds will be used to underwrite interpreters’ salaries for core program activities and to support four initiatives to increase earned income as a strategy for long-term sustainability.

Good Samaritan Mission
Crisis Shelter Support
$30,000
The timely provision of emergency housing gives people in crisis the opportunity to resolve their problems and regain control of their lives. Under new leadership, the Good Samaritan Mission is expanding its services to accommodate the increasing number of people in need of shelter and support. This grant will help fund this expansion effort, including shelter renovations, increased client support staffing and enhanced collaboration with other organizations to provide counseling services and medical assistance. Previously, the Mission only provided clients with dinner and a place to sleep, but it will now be staffed and open during the day as well.

Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center
Mental Health Services
$13,000
The Jackson Hole Community Counseling Center’s services address basic needs of individuals for their mental health, safety, and welfare regardless of ability to pay. Due to budget cuts, the Counseling Center was forced to reduce staff, freeze salaries and reassess benefits in order to continue operating at a level that would meet community need. This grant will help to replace lost revenue from existing contracts to provide operating support and continue the Access Improvement Plan.

Jackson Hole Elders
Creating an Alternative to Nursing Homes
$7,500
Jackson Hole Elders exists to create an alternative to traditional nursing homes for elders in Teton County. Presently, there is no such alternative for elders in need of skilled nursing care. The Green House movement aims to transform eldercare in America, moving away from the institutional, medical-centered approach toward providing all levels of care in home settings. This grant will partially fund a full-time Project Manager for the Green House Project in Jackson.

Jackson Hole Perinatal Advocacy Project
Perinatal Education
$4,800
Currently, there is a lack of information and resources on pregnancy and postpartum mental health in Jackson Hole. Research has shown that support groups are one of the most effective forms of treatment for postpartum depression. Grant funds will pay for the services of a licensed counselor to lead 24 free, weekly support group sessions open to any woman with perinatal mental health issues.

Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association
Therapeutic Riding Services
$5,000
Horseback riding therapy allows people of all ages with various disabilities to improve their quality of life by providing learning opportunities that strengthen and heal their bodies and rejuvenate their spirits. Though ridership, programs and costs have gone up, Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association will not increase client participation fees in order to keep lessons affordable to as many people as possible. Grant funds will cover a portion of this program’s operating expenses for the 2010 riding season including salaries, arena maintenance, insurance, and volunteer training and appreciation.

Latino Resource Center
Bilingual Services for Latinos
$15,000
Each month, approximately 500 Spanish speaking Teton County residents come to the Latino Resource Center for assistance in virtually every aspect of life, ranging from legal documents, immigration, employment, housing, income taxes and education. Many local agencies also rely on the Latino Resource Center for assistance with translation and interpretation services. Due to reduced contributions, grants and client service fees, Latino Resource Center is facing a significant budget deficit. Grant funds will be used to cover general operating expenses including equipment, software and bilingual, full-time client service employees.

St. John’s Medical Center Foundation
Infant Respiratory Equipment
$5,975
St. John’s does not have a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. If current equipment and treatment of an infant in respiratory failure is inadequate, the infant must be life flighted to Idaho Falls, the closest hospital using a Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (NCPAP) machine. This delay in treatment further endangers the child and is very costly. This grant will fund the purchase of a NCPAP machine for St. John’s which will be used not only to treat infants with respiratory problems but also older children with breathing related sleep disorders.