Center for Children and Families at St. Catherine Hospital Awarded $87,590  Grant for Violence Prevention  

The Center for Children and Families at St. Catherine Hospital managed by the Finney County Community Health Coalition has been awarded an $87,590 grant that will focus on the reduction and prevention of family violence.  The grant is provided by the Mission and Ministry Fund of Catholic Health Initiatives, the national health care system that includes St. Catherine Hospital and the Center for Children and Families.

Since it was established in 1996 with guidance from the health system’s founding congregations, the Mission and Ministry Fund has awarded 347 grants totaling more than $41.6 million to programs across the globe. The fund was established through contributions from Catholic Health Initiatives’ facilities across the nation, including St. Catherine Hospital.

 The Reduction of Violence grant serves Garden City, Kansas and also contributes to Catholic Health Initiatives’ system wide initiative to prevent violence in every community the health care system serves. The focus of the initiative is to reduce and prevent family violence.  This focus was determined by over 300 individuals who participated in community discussions about improving the safety and health of the community. The initiative will support families in targeted neighborhoods by identifying needed resources and services while stressing existing assets and strengths. A community wide campaign will result in greater awareness of the long term impact of family violence.  “Presently our emergency department, outpatient clinics and pediatric services are overwhelmed. “Any reduction of violence in Finney County is in the best interest of building safer and healthier communities,” comments Scott Taylor, CEO and President of St. Catherine Hospital.

“Violence prevention is a system wide, long-term commitment for CHI, and we’re very proud of the collaborative work being done by the Center for Children and Families in the community,” said Kevin Lofton, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Health Initiatives.

About the Coalition

The Center for Children and Families, managed by the Finney County Community Health Coalition, was founded in 2009 through a Mission and Ministry Grant from Catholic Health Initiatives at St. Catherine Hospital.  The Coalition can trace its beginnings to the founding of the hospital in the early nine-teen hundreds as community minded individuals supported meeting the healthcare needs of the community. Through the leadership of the Dominican Sisters, community-minded individuals and organizations partnered with St. Catherine Hospital to set up the Finney County Community Health Coalition.  In 2009, the Coalition set up its own Board of Directors and By Laws. Today the Coalition has grown to represent nearly fifty community agencies. In 2011, sponsored by St. Catherine Hospital, the Coalition became its own 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. The Coalition has sponsored a tobacco free initiative, supported funding for city-wide public transportation and was awarded two federal and state grants, The first grant focused on the reduction of underage alcohol abuse (Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG The second grant, Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health ( Project LAUNCH,) seeks to pioneer new ways to promote wellness for children birth – eight.  A planning grant from CHI for the reduction of violence in 2011 is the most recent grant.

About Catholic Health Initiatives

            Catholic Health Initiatives is a national nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Englewood, Colo. The faith-based system operates in 19 states and includes 76 hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; two community health services organizations; two accredited nursing colleges; and home health agencies. In fiscal year 2011, CHI provided more than $612 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. With annual revenues of more than $10.5 billion, CHI is the nation’s second-largest Catholic health care system.