CAHF News:SANTA FE ― Con Alma Health Foundation announced Wednesday that it is investing $150,000 in 14 nonprofits that serve people in Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and northern Santa Fe counties through a partnership between Con Alma and the Hospital Auxiliary for the Los Alamos Medical Center, called the Northern New Mexico Health Grants Group.
Con Alma is awarding an additional $515,000 in grants statewide to improve health in New Mexico.
The Angioma Alliance will receive $7,500 to help the Baca Family Historical Project hold a regional conference for rural residents of Rio Arriba, Santa Fe and Taos counties. “Residents in these counties have the highest incidence in the world of a hereditary illness that causes strokes and seizures, called cerebral cavernous malformation,” said Connie Lee, president and CEO of Angioma Alliance. “Our conference will offer medical education in a cultural context, celebrate family heritage and develop social support groups.”
Other grants support efforts toward such issues as health-care access, advocacy training, health-care careers, child welfare, substance abuse, hospice care and economic development. Grants also expand education and care for vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, uninsured patients, LGBTQ+, homeless, at-risk youth and those in recovery.
A $10,000 grant to Los Alamos Makers “will help us increase vocational training and professional development opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities, by making our community space more accessible and inclusive,” said Prisca Tiasse, founder of Los Alamos Makers.
Nonprofits receiving grants serve people statewide and specifically in Bernalillo, Chaves, Colfax, Doña Ana, Eddy, Grant, Lincoln, Los Alamos, Luna, McKinley, Mora, Otero, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Socorro, Taos, Torrance and Valencia counties.
Con Alma recognized grant recipients at the health foundation’s annual grantee recognition event in November. “We are honored to award grants to nonprofits that work hard to address the challenges people face in living healthy lives, especially in rural, underserved areas,” said Dolores E. Roybal, Con Alma’s executive director.
Family Strengths Network (FSN) ($15,500) promoting a culture shift through programs that encourage social inclusion, increased peer support and resources, and decrease isolation of those with developmental disabilities, grandparents raising grandchildren, and families with young children.
The Family YMCA ($15,000) towards the Española YMCA Teen Center which advances teen health and resiliency by providing educational support, skill-building opportunities, and caring adult mentors who help guide youth toward responsible choices and access medical and behavior health resources.
Los Alamos Family Council ($15,000) towards Easing the Pain of Behavioral Health Costs efforts that provide short-term, limited support for indigent individuals challenged by substance abuse, domestic violence and suicide ideation who can’t afford to pay for services.
Los Alamos Juvenile Justice Advisory Board ($12,000) to provide the Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainings to neighboring communities and additional area school districts, which will help prevention specialists and counselors recognize symptoms of youth in crisis and refer them to services.
Los Alamos Makers ($10,000) in support of increasing vocational training and professional opportunities in modern manufacturing and basic creative skills for youth and adults with special needs in an inclusive, supportive and safe environment equipped with accommodations for various developmental disabilities.
Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation ($7,500) to support creating a safer environment in schools by increasing awareness about the importance of automated external defibrillators and making them available in five Los Alamos elementary schools and in the school District’s Office.
Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service (LAVNS) ($7,500) towards upgrading the organization’s server to secure and enhance communication with patients, clinical staff, physicians and others, ensure compliance and safe storage of patient information and prepare for potential telehealth needs.
Self Help ($7,500) towards improving access to information and increasing community and local organizations awareness and use of basic needs and mental health resources through the 211 Information and Referral Project and Los Alamos Mental Health Access Project.
Northern New Mexico Health Grants Group, promoting the health and wellness of the people of Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, and northern Santa Fe counties through a partnership between the Con Alma Health Foundation and the Hospital Auxiliary for Los Alamos Medical Center (14 grants, totaling $150,000).
Angioma Alliance, New Mexico Branch ($7,500) in support of the Baca Family Historical Project’s efforts to decrease barriers to accessing health care for those affected by a genetic form of cerebral cavernous malformations, a blood-vessel illness affecting residents of northern New Mexico.
Barrios Unidos ($10,000) in support of The Querencia Project, an intergenerational project that seeks to address spiritual health, promote solutions, and community cohesion by creating an ethos of cooperation and incorporating cultural and traditional wisdom as additional healing paradigms.
Four Bridges Traveling Permaculture Institute ($10,000) for Agri-Kidz program which provides youth with opportunities to prepare community meals, work in an educational farm, public spaces, and farmer’s markets to preserve traditional knowledge, emphasize culture, and intergenerational wisdom.
Inside Out ($15,000) towards outreach efforts that provide positive modeling, open dialogue and non-judgmental service programs that support recovery of indigent populations suffering with substance abuse and mental health illnesses in rural northern New Mexico.
Public Health Acupuncture of New Mexico ($7,500) towards training, certification, and supervision of state certified auricular detoxification specialists to provide treatment to for substance-use withdrawal and prevent relapse in collaboration with grass-roots partners in Chimayo and Española areas.
Santa Fe Recovery Center ($10,000) to ensure women and their young children receive comprehensive trauma-informed treatment and family-centered support services through a collaborative, cross-agency, multidisciplinary treatment team approach.
Con Alma Health Foundation General Operating and Project Grants, supporting health systems strategies to address the needs of our diverse communities (15 grants, totaling $200,000)
Albuquerque Interfaith ($12,000) towards the New Mexicans for the Common Good rural organizing project that seeks to engage the often underrepresented voices of young people and people of color to effectively achieve policy change and revitalize investments that confront community challenges.
Cibola General Hospital ($7,500) in support of the Healthcare Exploration Program to attract students in pursuing a healthcare career, especially in rural New Mexico, by assisting students to spend eight weeks of studying, observing, and working with healthcare workers in a variety of departments.
Earth Care International ($10,000) to activate, train and support youth and parent leaders from low-income families in Santa Fe County in a community-driven planning process to improve the health of their communities and lead sustainable development planning initiatives in Santa Fe’s southside.
Equality New Mexico Foundation ($18,000) to increase access to opportunity and equity for LGBTQ+ New Mexicans through the NM Safe Schools Initiative school bullying prevention, LGBTQ+ Youth Out of Home Working Group to engage youth experiencing homelessness, and LGBTQ+ Roundtable.
Healthy Native Communities Partnership ($20,000) towards supporting locally developed wellness plans in three Northern Navajo communities in San Juan County that improve health, community life and recover traditional practices of communal decision-making.
La Semilla Food Center ($14,000) towards establishment of a Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) fund with the City of Las Cruces, Doña Ana County, and the state of New Mexico as an economic development mechanism that invests in food businesses in traditionally underserved areas.
McKinley Community Health Alliance ($15,000) continued support of multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaborations and engagement efforts focused on community-driven health priorities that have the potential to improve the lives of all McKinley County residents.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Mexico ($10,000) to promote good mental health and address barriers for individuals suffering from mental health issues and their families at NAMI affiliates in Bernalillo, Doña Ana, Luna, Otero, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties.
New Mexico Black History Month Organizing Committee ($14,000) to address unmet behavioral health needs in the black community by strengthening a coalition of culturally competent experts and partnerships with existing behavioral providers in Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance and Valencia counties.
New Mexico Environmental Law Center ($15,000) to assist communities in Bernalillo County’s South Valley impacted by airborne industrial contaminants by scientifically assessing air pollution’s effects on their health, while also catalyzing legal and policy solutions that prioritize residents’ safety.
New Mexico State University ($18,000) to address youth suicide in New Mexico/Mexico colonias border communities by training promotoras to mentor, educate and help families advocate for their own mental health and the health of their families and neighbors.
New Vistas ($14,000) to support effective and inclusive services to children birth to three with or at risk for developmental delays by incorporating innovative use of telehealth care to reach rural families in Mora, San Miguel and Santa Fe counties.
Pegasus Legal Services for Children ($7,500) to assist Isleta Pueblo Tribal Court leadership address child welfare practices by combining Pegasus’ legal expertise and multi-disciplinary teams with the Pueblo’s specific cultural and health requirements in the development of best practices and policies.
Tessa Anderson Suicide Prevention Coalition ($10,000) to increase outreach, education and suicide prevention among community partners such as local organizations, health councils, city officials, school personnel, medical professionals, and law enforcement in Chaves, Eddy, and Roosevelt counties.
Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) ($15,000) to gather data, family histories, and research that may lead to the first time inclusion of New Mexicans in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act for those affected by nuclear radiation, with emphasis on the Trinity Site fallout area.
Technical Assistance Grants, strengthening the capacity of New Mexico’s nonprofit sector (9 grants, totaling $115,000)
Fathers New Mexico ($14,000) towards building organizational capacity to expand services, strengthen existing referral pathways and serve an underserved population of young fathers and their families, especially participants who are not in school, in Bernalillo, Sandoval and Santa Fe counties.
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence ($15,000) to support trainings that build the capacity of key personnel who work with survivors of domestic violence (first responders, health care personnel, and advocates) to identify and treat Traumatic Brain Injury.
New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness ($7,500) to provide technical assistance to agencies implementing the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program and strengthening Youth Advisory Boards in Santa Fe, San Juan, McKinley, Sandoval and Taos counties.
New Mexico Kids Matter ($15,000) towards enhancing data systems, tools, and processes in Bernalillo County and the Albuquerque Metro Region that facilitate the proper implementation of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) for Native American children in foster care.
Santa Fe Recovery Center ($16,000) towards enhancing the Center’s administrative infrastructure and board’s capacity to respond to the Center’s growth, funding and programmatic complexity in addressing New Mexico’s increase in substance abuse and alcoholism.
Scotts House ($15,000) to build the capacity of this newly launched, social model hospice house in setting up the software and systems for scheduling, patient records and patient coordination, legal services, computer and Internet services.
Supporting People in Need (SPIN) ($7,500) towards building staff capacity to engage in collaborative efforts that address policy barriers to creating permanent supportive housing and services for people with disabilities, especially mental illness, who struggle with homelessness in Grant County.
Wings for L.I.F.E. ($9,000) to provide measurable outcomes data about the efficacy of the Building Assets Social and Emotional Learning Skills after-school programs offered to elementary-school age children in the Roswell Independent School District.
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project ($16,000) towards formalizing a storytelling strategy that inspires and increases understanding of Zuni’s traditional youth development practices by increasing opportunities for Zuni community members to define health in indigenous and relevant ways.
Multi-Year Grants, building alliance and capacity to address access and policies that advance health equity and impact underserved populations (Year three of three continuation funding for 4 grants, totaling $200,000)
Generation Justice ($50,000) for innovative approaches that harness the power of media using inter-generational positive youth development in creating media campaigns focused on narratives based on truth, analysis and hope, and that shifts media narratives to health equity and systems change.
New Energy Economy ($50,000) to build the capacity of four-corner residents to conduct a health impact assessment as an advocacy tool for community-driven transition planning that raises the voices of workers and residents impacted by the San Juan Generating Station and mine’s imminent closure.
New Mexico Voices for Children ($50,000) to inform the public about proposed changes to and impacts of Medicaid on the health and economic security of New Mexicans by building community partnerships, conducting research and analysis, showcasing project findings and leveraging media to raise visibility.
Santa Fe Community College ($50,000) to develop the Licensed Practical Nurse Career Pathway, a nursing program at Capitol High School, and establish a core curriculum and sustainable model for other high schools in New Mexico.
