Program areas at VHF
Vmc Foundation (the "Foundation") is an independent community-driven 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation organization founded to support and protect silicon Valley's most vital public healthcare institution santa clara Valley medical center hospitals & clinics, which includes santa clara Valley medical center (scvmc), o'connor hospital, st. louise regional hospital and the depaul Health center. In partnership with scvmc, the vmc Foundation raises philanthropic dollars to improve existing services, pioneer new models of care, and advance the cause of high-quality healthcare for all.the following are the Foundation's major programs and activities: launching the Valley Health Foundation: in 2019, the county of santa clara purchased two community hospitals, o'connor hospital in san jose and st. louise regional hospital in gilroy. These three hospitals comprise northern California's largest public healthcare system alongside santa clara Valley medical center. Immediately after the acquisition, the vmc Foundation got to work integrating the former o'connor and st. louise foundations into our operating structure. The final step is in that process, changing the name of our organization to reflect all three hospital communities. In may 2023, the vmc Foundation will formally become the Valley Health Foundation with a new mission and vision statement. This represents the most significant change for the organization since our founding in 1988 and one that sets us on a path to support, innovate and advocate for better Health for all in santa clara county.friends of st. louise - the county of santa clara purchased three bankrupt and/or closed hospitals in early 2019, two of which had pre-existing foundations later disbanded. The Foundation is now raising funds for and supporting services at santa clara Valley medical center hospitals & clinics, including o'connor hospital, st. louise regional hospital, and the depaul Health center in addition to the rest of the county of santa clara Health system. "friends of st. louise" is the new affiliate group launched by the Foundation to serve as the community-fundraising arm for st. louise regional hospital. Comprised of the former members of the now-defunct st. louise hospital Foundation, friends of st. louise will be the conduit by which the Foundation supports the expansion of the hospital. Violence prevention - the santa clara county public Health department leads a community-wide coalition to address violence in east san jose as a public Health concern. As such, the vmc Foundation has been invited to be part of this coalition and has been chosen as the "wellness fund," where dollars raised to support the work of the alliance will be kept and administered. The Foundation's ceo is active on the coalition's leadership team.spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation - securing grants and gifts to enhance the world-class care provided by scvmc's spinal cord injury (sci) and the traumatic brain injury (tbi) unit is a major priority, since doing so not only helps patients obtain the best treatment for these kinds of injuries but also helps attract patients with private insurance. This program benefits scvmc financially beyond what philanthropy alone can do.turning wheels for kids - the Foundation ensures that children of low-income families can have a brand-new bicycle, promoting outdoor exercise and battling the epidemic of childhood obesity. For the years ended december 31, 2022, and 2021, the volunteers who run this inspiring program bought, built, and distributed more than 880 and 1,200 bikes to children in silicon Valley, respectively. This was accomplished despite the fact that gatherings of any size were forbidden due to covid-19 related restrictions. Neonatal intensive care unit (nicu) support - scvmc's nicu provides the highest level of care to hundreds of tiny, premature infants each year. The vmc Foundation, with the help of first 5 santa clara county, in silicon Valley, and other philanthropists, provide technology and social service support to these babies and families.education and issue advocacy - the vmc Foundation is one of the only methods that santa clara county's public Health and hospital system have to promote the excellent and essential services it provides to all residents of the county, regardless of ability to pay. Public knowledge of these services, many of which are provided by the county of santa clara Health system and no other hospitals in the bay area, can have policy implications. For this reason, the vmc Foundation is dedicated to supporting community education and outreach about the Health system's services, how local and national policy changes may affect the Health systems, and how increased understanding of the Health system's role in caring for the community can drive donations, political support, and public perception. Additionally, expanding the understanding of how issues like community violence and homelessness are considered a Health crisis, and how santa clara county residents can help solve these crises has become a growing priority.nonprofit grant program: the covid-19 nonprofit resilience and sustainability grant program aims to strengthen the sustainability and responsiveness of nonprofits in santa clara county that have been negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic, with a focus on racial equity. Through this funding, we envision a stronger and more vibrant nonprofit sector, providing services to the most vulnerable members of our community in an equitable, diverse, respectful, and inclusive way. This $10 million grant program is funded by the county of santa clara through the federal coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds under the american rescue plan act.