The Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board approved one of its largest grant allocations in recent years at its monthly meeting on March 24.
Five grants totaling $3,550,528 were awarded to local organizations to improve access to primary and behavioral healthcare. The grantees have committed to using the funds in a variety of ways, including programs and services to address the Coachella Valley’s healthcare workforce shortage, bolster mental and behavioral healthcare, support the wellness needs of underserved and migrant families, and more.
The grant awards are:
Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, doing business as Innercare: $2,975,625 to develop over three years a Coachella Valley teaching health center program to address the community’s physician shortage.
Galilee Center: $185,337 to continue the Bridge to Health program, connecting underserved and migrant families to medical and behavioral health services through case management and strong partnerships with healthcare providers, schools, transportation services, and other community organizations.
Hanson House: $103,155 to support the full salary of a new case manager and the partial salary of its executive director. The addition of a case manager to daily operations would provide one-on-one, family-centered support from intake through post-hospital transition. This includes conducting needs assessments, coordinating patient care, and connecting families with community resources.
Jewish Family Service of the Desert: $143,750 to support the partial salaries of five positions – a clinical director, a licensed marriage and family therapist clinician, two marriage and family therapist counselors, and an associate clinical social worker counselor. This grant will contribute to expanding access to mental healthcare, strengthening the regional workforce, and ensuring that residents receive timely, affirming, and bilingual services.
LGBTQ+ Community Center of the Desert: $142,661 to support two Spanish-speaking therapists to expand access in underserved areas and train eight clinicians under three supervisors in LGBTQ+-affirming, evidence-based care. Grant funds will support the partial salaries of the director of behavioral health services, the chief clinical officer, the clinical senior manager, and two therapists.
As shown above, the largest grant award of the night went to Innercare, a Federally Qualified Health Center with multiple health and dental clinics serving both Riverside and Imperial counties. Innercare will use the funds over three years, starting on July 1, to create and implement a teaching health center to train local physician residents. By the third year of the grant period, Innercare plans to have 16 residents working across its health sites and DAP Health.
Kimberly Barraza, president of Desert Healthcare District
“Today’s approval of $3.5 million in grants is a strong reflection of our commitment to the community and to the priorities we’ve set as a District,” Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board President Kimberly Barraza said Tuesday. “These investments will expand access to care, strengthen our healthcare workforce, and bring critical resources directly to the residents who need them most. The impact of these dollars will be felt in real, tangible ways – more services, better access, and healthier outcomes across the Coachella Valley. This is exactly the kind of meaningful, community-driven progress we should be proud to advance together.”
In other business, the District & Foundation Board also approved a consulting services agreement with NPO Centric. The two-year agreement, not to exceed $420,000, continues a prior partnership between the two organizations to provide capacity-building services to Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations and to raise awareness about the work and its outcomes.
The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to improve access to health care and outcomes for all District residents through strategic funding and partnerships. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation together are among the largest funders in the valley.
