The Health Trust

Filing Period

Jul 1, 2012 to Jun 30, 2013

Signed

Apr 16, 2014

Return Version

2012v2.0

Gross Receipts

$34,973,788

Mission

Major Activities

Activity 2

The Healthy Aging Initiative was launched in January 2008 and strikes a balance between primary prevention for promoting the health and wellness of older adults and approaches that acknowledge the unique service needs of an aging society. The initiative pursues a variety of strategies including (1) Leadership & Coordination through the Aging Services Collaborative, (2) Health Promotion Program Expansion, (3) Social Connection and Nutrition, (4) Caregiver Capacity Building and (5) Community Engagement of older adults. Specific accomplishments and outcomes for each of these strategies are listed below.Leadership & Coordination: Aging Services Collaborative. The Health Trust coordinates and provides leadership to the Aging Services Collaborative (ASC), a consortium of organizations and individuals working together to provide leadership and build community-wide capacity to support, maintain, and promote the well-being of older adults and their caregivers in Santa Clara County. During FY 2013, 122 professionals and senior advocates, representing 87 organizations, participated in the ASC by attending professional development presentations, leading advocacy efforts to sustain safety net programs for seniors, engaging in community planning efforts for aging and by hosting two conferences. The ASC also developed and adopted a Policy Agenda.Health Promotion Program Expansion. This strategy focuses on increasing the capacity of organizations to provide best practice health promotion programs to older adults including physical activity, disease management and falls prevention. During FY13, a Falls Prevention Task Force was formed to expand education throughout Santa Clara County on falls prevention.Social Connection and Nutrition. The Health Trust operates a Meals on Wheels (MOW) program that provides home-delivered meals to seniors and people with disabilities. In FY 2013, 75,712 meals were delivered to a total of 676 unduplicated individuals. Ninety percent of the MOW recipients reported that the MOW services are good or excellent. Ninety-nine percent reported that the MOW services were somewhat or extremely important in helping them to remain in their homes. 973 deliveries of groceries were also provided to our clients.Caregiver Capacity Building. The Caregiver strategy was carried out in association with the Aging Services Collaborative (see above). During FY 2013, a Caregivers Count conference was held with 120 attendees in multiple languages. In addition, a grant was made to research and analyze caregiver demographics and resources in Santa Clara County and for the preparation of a blueprint for action. Community Engagement We continued to operate the AGEnts for Change program, engaging between 25 and 50 seniors in education and the development and implementation of a Social Action Plan. In addition, the Senior Peer Advocate program supported and trained a corps of 20 senior volunteers that provide information and assistance to seniors at 9 sites in the county.

Activity 3

The Healthy Living Initiative focuses on food access in low-income communities so that all residents have affordable, healthy food options within 1/2 mile of their home and that residents meet the CDCs Healthy People 2020 objective for daily fruit and vegetable consumption. In 2013, The Health Trust awarded 23 organizations a total of $1,074,312 to increase Healthy Food Resources, Create Healthy Places, and Build Capacity. Healthy Food Resources: Due to The Health Trusts and partners advocacy, The City of San Jose adopted The New Food Rules in August 2012 to allow neighborhood agriculture (community and home gardens) as an approved use in residential zones, while the State of California passed the Cottage Food Law. This legislation allowed residents to participate more freely in the creation and expansion of a local food system while reducing economic and geographic barriers to obtaining healthy foods. Building upon the foundation of the New Food Rules, The Health Trust provided Healthy Food Resources grants to expand Small, Certified Farmers Markets to residential zones, support groups that trained residents to grow food at home, and create entrepreneurial opportunities for residents to sell produce in low-income areas through mobile Fresh Carts. In addition, the Health Trust engaged in a planning and assessment process around healthy cornerstores, which would eventually lead to a Healthy Cornerstore Program that provides healthier food options in local stores. To support these initiatives, The Health Trust funded a Marketing and Advertising Firm, Salter-Mitchell, to begin developing a city-wide marketing and branding campaign that would draw customers to the new Fresh Carts, healthy cornerstores, and farmers markets. A grant was also awarded to Silicon Valley Eats to prepare a TV show to educate viewers on healthy food preparation in order to ensure residents have the skills to utilize the new food resources. At schools, The Health Trust launched a Lets Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign by placing 10 salad bars in low-income schools and providing matched funding for an additional 10 salad bars. In addition to the Healthy Food Resource strategy grants listed above, The Health Trust also awarded grants to organizations that sought to Create Healthy Places that encouraged physical activity and healthy eating. Farmers markets were launched on county property, and the program provided a model for other organizations hoping to launch markets on county land. San Benito County was awarded a grant to research and implement Safe Routes to School that improved walkability and bicycle safety, and Youth Alliance received a grant to build youth capacity to advocate for environmental changes in their community that support healthy eating and physical activity. The Health Trust also released its first round of Capacity Building Grants, which provided ten community-based organizations up to $20,000 to identify a capacity need and then develop and implement strategies to address those capacity needs within the organizations. In addition to the individual grants and projects, The Health Trust also engaged consultants, who provided the grantees with monthly learning sessions aimed at increasing their knowledge and skills in fundraising, management, and other identified areas of need. During 2013, the Health Trust entered its second year of the 3-year Silicon Valley Health Corps grant, received from California Volunteers. Twenty-four Americorps members work at ten sites to grow fruits and vegetables at community and school gardens and provide on-site nutrition education to students. The members also help develop and maintain distribution systems that feed low-income families with the garden and farm harvest.

Filer

EIN

94-6050231