MANCHESTER, NH – Catholic Medical Center (CMC) gratefully acknowledges several recent grants that are instrumental to the hospital’s mission of offering health, healing and hope. The grants, totaling more than $250-thousand, support programs that help women of limited means, expectant mothers and new infants, and new mothers in recovery.
“We’re incredibly thankful to the many corporate and charitable organizations that recognize the innovative, high-quality care we offer patients, regardless of their ability to pay,” says Keri Degen, Director of Development at CMC. “We’re able to increase that mission with donor support and, in turn, improve the health of our community.”
The grants include:
- New Hampshire Charitable Foundation: $65,000 over two years to fund the incentives of the CMC Pregnancy Care Center’s successful Roots for Recovery program, which provides counseling, treatment, and essential baby gear to pregnant women and new mothers in recovery. Since its launch in early 2017, nearly three dozen women and their babies have benefitted from the program.
- NH Department of Health and Human Services: Funding for a community health worker to identify and connect with women in need of breast and cervical cancer screenings who may be eligible for free services. Early detection is vital in successfully treating both diseases, yet many women avoid screening because of cost or a lack of information about insurance coverage.
- Oleanda Jameson Trust: $21.5-thousand to provide prenatal care to patients from early testing through delivery.
- Digital Federal Credit Union: $100-thousand capital grant to help CMC construct a new community education conference area to be used by the Mom’s Place, Special Care Nursery, and Pregnancy Care Center for both patient, family, and provider education. DCU has also supported CMC with a $50-thousand unrestricted gift which the Mom’s Place is using for provider training. Maternal caregivers are currently being trained on trauma informed care to help them more effectively and compassionately interact with new mothers who are in recovery.
- DCU for Kids Foundation: $15,000 for the KISS (Keeping Infants Safe and Secure) program. This class teaches new families about bonding and attachment, safe sleep, car seat safety, and the “Period of Purple Crying” (which teaches parents how to cope with crying to reduce shaken baby syndrome). Participants receive a Pack N Play upon completion. Since 2015, 225 families have gone through the program and nearly everyone has reported that, by the time they finish, they know at least three ways to protect their baby from sudden unexpected infant death (SUIDS).
“It’s rewarding to be able to show our generous donors that their gifts really make a difference in people’s lives,” says Degen. “We’re able to ask them what they want to see done with their support and they’re able to see results.”
About Catholic Medical Center:
Catholic Medical Center (“CMC”), a member of GraniteOne Health, is a nonprofit regional health system and home of the nationally-renowned New England Heart and Vascular Institute. With primary care practices that care for the very young to the young at heart and our dedication to community outreach programs, CMC is helping to foster a healthier community, everyday. Learn more at CatholicMedicalCenter.org
