Published on August 11, 2021

Recipients of 2022 Community Health Investments Grant Program

OWENSBORO, Ky. (Aug. 10, 2021) – Owensboro Health announced its FY 2022 Community Health Investments Grant Program recipients virtually on Tuesday, Aug. 10. 

The Community Health Investments Grants provide in-kind and financial support for health, human services and arts projects and programming throughout the region. Funded projects and agencies being supported span a wide array of regional needs, from children in local school districts to aging adults and senior services.

The grants are targeted at a number of community-specific identified health needs in addition to the health system’s four priority focus areas: Tobacco and Related Diseases; Older Adults and Aging; Arts in Healing; and Children and School Health. This year’s investments will support 35 projects throughout the region, for a total of $719,946.67. This year’s amount means Owensboro Health has invested more than $7 million in area agencies since 2011.

Mark Marsh, Owensboro Health’s President and CEO, said these grants are a key element to Owensboro Health fulfilling its mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities we serve.

“These direct community investments allow us to reach beyond healthcare and impact other areas that are key determinants to the health of our patients and community,” Marsh said. “By working together with these community partners, we can accomplish even bigger goals to improve the health of our region. These partnerships are vital for a healthy and vibrant community.”

Agencies and projects funded for the upcoming fiscal year are listed below:

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Bluegrass Music in Post-COVID Community Healing
Includes support for five community programs: Bluegrass in the Schools, Saturday Morning Lessons/Bluegrass Band Project, Bluegrass Community Education, Traditional Dance (Clogging) and Bluegrass Music Outreach.

CASA of the Ohio Valley
Change the Life of a Child
Community awareness and engagement program related to the focus on issues of child abuse and resilience factors. Grant funds will also be used for volunteer recruitment.

City of Greenville
Play for All Park Playground Renovation Project
The renovation of Morgan Park will provide the only ADA - inclusive playground in Muhlenberg County. This space is located in close proximity to schools and low - income housing.

Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club (Henderson Unit)
Health in Motion
Includes funding for 3 programs: Heathy Cooking Classes, Swimming Lessons, and SkyZone Trampoline Fitness Classes.

Community Dental Clinic
Patient Outreach, Recovery, and Access to Care Project
Target population is the uninsured and Medicaid patients in our area who need routine and emergent dental care through their Charity Care Fund.

Daniel Pitino Shelter     
DPS Community Resource Room
Community Resource Room will provide space for online and in - person resources to address the physical, mental, and health needs of clients.

Daviess County Public Schools
The Umbrella Project-Breaking through the Pandemic Wall
Funding would be used for the implementation of safe spaces: 1 middle school and 1 high school; support for a Mental Health Resource Connector position; and professional development to address mental health and suicide.

Girls Inc. of Owensboro Daviess County             
Healthy Futures Academy of Learning
The academy will educate girls on the importance of healthy living and safety, learn about accessing appropriate care when medical attention is needed, and be introduced to a variety of careers in healthcare.              

Green River District Health Department - DC-CAP          
Daviess County Community Access Project (DC-CAP) 
Prescription assistance and access to care program reaching at-risk vulnerable populations. Goal is to provide at least $3.5 million dollars in donated prescriptions to our local community. 

Green River District Health Department - Nicotine Reduction Program 
Green River Nicotine Reduction Program
Support for nicotine replacement therapy, tobacco quit line and cessation resources, and education and awareness regarding JUULS and electronic cigarettes. Partnership is a model in state; this funding supports expansion to additional counties.

Green River District Health Department-Safe Sleep for Babies  
Safe Sleep for Babies II
Purchase of 50 Safe Sleep Survival Kits: Sleep Sack, Pack ‘N Play, fitted sheet with safe sleep messaging, soothing pacifier and a “Sleep Baby Safe and Snug” children’s book.

H.L. Neblett Community Center
Building Strong African-American Families
This project seeks to strengthen family relationships, parenting processes, and youth competencies in traditionally economically disadvantaged families identified as needing additional mental health resources.

Hancock County Partners for a Healthy Community/Youth, Inc.             
Tobacco Prevention & Nicotine Cessation in Hancock & Spencer Counties
Youth and adult education about the dangers of tobacco/e-cigarette use, serving  Hancock County, Kentucky and Spencer County in Indiana.

Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky           
Ensuring Access to Care During a Pandemic
Funding provided for Camp Courage and both palliative care and bereavement educational materials.

International Center
Emotional Wellness Program for Refugee Populations
Individual and group therapy sessions for members of the refugee community to combat deep trauma. Medically Certified Interpreters will be identified and trained, along with mental health care providers in the community to better meet the specific needs of refugees and their families.

Junior Achievement of West Kentucky, Inc.       
JA Pathways toward Career and Life Success for K-12 Youth
Investment targeting youth in 11 counties in the highest free and reduced lunch classrooms, providing students with the knowledge, skills, and tools to increase understanding of importance of improving their economic well-being.

Kentucky Kids on the Block       
34 Educational Puppetry Health Programs
Educational puppetry programs will address priority health areas at public elementary schools in Breckenridge, Butler, Daviess, Edmonson, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, and Ohio Counties.

Kentucky Wesleyan College
Reducing Tobacco Use within the KWC Campus Community
Funding provided for a tobacco awareness and cessation campus program. KWC will have a staff member trained as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist and partner with the OHRH Outpatient Pharmacy for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT).    

Light of Chance, Inc.     
Breathe Youth Arts Residency Program
A thirty-one week pilot initiative including visual arts, music, creative writing, performing arts, and mindfulness exercises which help participants learn skills that promote cognitive focus, emotional regulation, and decision-making.  Implemented in the Hopkins County Day Treatment Program. 

New Beginnings Sexual Assault Support Services            
The Adult Chair
The Adult Chair training will educate mental health providers on how childhood, adolescent, and adult trauma affects the brain. Better treatment plans can then be created to assist clients who have experienced trauma in the past.

Owensboro Community and Technical College Foundation, Inc.
Promoting Health Equity through Allied Health Workforce Diversity Initiative
Program to provide education and promotion of careers in healthcare to increase diversity in the workforce through information sessions and a summer academy.

Owensboro Dance Theatre, Inc.                                          
Dance for Wellness 2022
The Dance for Wellness 2022 Project focuses on four programs: “Rising Stars: Adaptive Needs Dance Therapy” program “Dance/Movement/L.E.A.N.” program, “Dance for Health”, and "Dance to Learn…Science".

Owensboro Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition         
Community Professional Education and Awareness Campaign
Strategies supported by the Kentucky Suicide Prevention Plan and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention including community based programs aimed at reducing stigma associated with seeking treatment for mental health problems; utilizing educational materials and programs designed to help people understand suicidal risks and warning signs; increase the competency of those professionals who work with suicidal patients; provide support to loss survivors. 

Owensboro Symphony 
Music On Call
Music On Call brings meaningful, musical experiences directly to participants in their environment through a variety of community partnerships.

Puzzle Pieces    
Enhancing Programs, Enriching Lives
Support to enrich the programming for the organization's five divisions: social/community, vocational, residential, employment opportunities, and the Owen Autism Center.

RiverPark Center           
“Pay What You Can” and Broadway 
The Pay What You Can Program underwrites free and greatly reduced tickets for Broadway shows and other RiverPark Center performances for those who may not otherwise be able to afford them. 

Senior Community Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, Inc. 
Weekend Accessible and Ready Meals (WARM) Program
Provision of nutritious meals on the weekends to vulnerable seniors in Daviess County. New objectives involve establishing an evidence base for the WARM program, standardize all procedures required to plan, implement, and evaluate the WARM program and present the results of the project regionally/nationally.

SOS International          
Hospital Recycling Partner Program
Funding supports continued Hospital Recycling Partnership to help support the expenses related to collection and redistribution of surplus medical supplies. SOS was a key partner in addressing needs presented by COVID-19 in Kentucky.    

The Center of Owensboro-Daviess County, Inc.
Targeted Case Management Program
Program provides individualized support to clients assisting them in addressing social determinants of health through the coordination efforts of a licensed social worker. Funding also provides for technology needs to support targeted case management.

The Foundry Center for the Arts
After School Arts – Henderson and Webster Counties
Support for expansion of program impact by providing services without financial barriers to youth in Henderson and Webster Counties. Children can choose from a variety of classes to participate in, including painting/drawing, acting, and hip hop dancing.

The Kentucky Methodist Homes for Children - Mary Kendall Campus
The Fit Trail
Support provided for outdoor fitness equipment to be incorporated into each youth-in-healing's Individualized Treatment Plan for more holistic wellness opportunities and physical activity.

The Way of Rockport Indiana, Inc.
Bringing Back Smiles
Funding allocated will support provision of dental care for clients in this Spencer County, Indiana recovery facility. 

Theatre Workshop of Owensboro         
Lights, Camera, Action!
Additional equipment will be purchased to advance virtual engagement opportunities for community members with training of volunteers so they may properly utilize new equipment. 

Tri-State Food Bank, Inc.            
Seed Funding for New Backpack Sites
105 children identified with food insecurity will be served; youth at Heritage Park High School, Burns Middle School, and Crossroads will be given nutritional food items to sustain them each weekend of the 2021 - 2022 school year.

Wendell Foster
Adaptive Climbing Wall and Indoor Therapy Gym
Equipment to meet the occupational and physical outpatient therapy needs of clients with disabilities. 

About Owensboro Health

Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.

On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.