Applications accepted for Healing Partner grants

Huntington County Healing Partners, a funding alliance uniting the Huntington County Medical Society and Parkview Huntington Hospital (PHH) in a shared vision for improving community health and well-being, has announced the timetable for its 2022 grant cycle.

The application period for 2022 Healing Partners grant funding opens April 8 and will close May 20. The grants are available to organizations that tackle pressing local health issues in ways that promote better health and greater vitality for people throughout Huntington County. Applications and other information are available at https://www.huntingtonhealingpartners.org.

A 2020 gift of more than $1.28 million from the Huntington County Medical Society established a permanent endowment at Parkview Huntington Foundation that is the key revenue source for the Huntington County Healing Partners program. The cooperative effort of the medical society and PHH provides annual grant funding for programs and equipment related to initiatives targeting public health priorities identified in the Huntington County Health Needs Assessment.

Conducted by Parkview Health every three years, the needs assessment identifies trends in health among Huntington County residents. The most recent assessment, completed for 2020-22, cited health priorities in the county that include chronic disease treatment/management, access to healthy foods, obesity, mental health, and substance use and abuse, among other findings.

Eleven local agencies were awarded a total of $59,895 in the 2021 round of grants, which launched the Healing Partners program.

“The Healing Partners program allows us to best direct money to activities that will have the biggest impact on the health and wellness of Huntington County,” said Matt Pflieger, DO, Medical Society vice president and Huntington County health officer. “The needs of a community shift with time and we want to ensure we are staying in line with those needs – creating an environment that helps people live their best lives.”

A committee of representatives from the medical society and the hospital reviews qualifying grant applications and administers the Healing Partners program. PHH contributes toward the grants from funds set aside annually for its Community Health Improvement work.

“So many factors contribute to health and well-being,” said Doug Selig, president, PHH, “from access to health care and nutritious food to affordable housing, reliable transportation, supportive social services and more. Recognizing that major change requires substantial resources, the Healing Partners alliance aims to cast a wider net, inviting more solutions from groups that are new or have not been able to participate in past grant funding through the Community Health Improvement program. We want to give good ideas the momentum they need to begin making a difference for even more people.”

Grant applications being accepted via new website:

Local 501(c)3 not-for-profit organizations with programs addressing obesity/healthy eating or mental health/substance abuse are invited to apply for funding now. Applications should be for program funding only. Applications and other information are available at https://www.huntingtonhealingpartners.org. Prospective applicants may also email questions about the program to HealingPartners@parkview.com. Completed applications are due on or before May 20. The selected grant recipients will be notified in early June.