Trinity Health awards grant funding to St. Joseph’s Health, Syracuse Health Coalition

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Trinity Health has awarded St. Joseph’s Health and the Syracuse Health Coalition grant funding as part of Trinity’s “Transforming Communities Initiative” (TCI).

“St. Joseph’s and our partners have received a … grant from Trinity Health for $500,000 per year for up to five years,” Mark Murphy, senior VP for system development and ambulatory care leadership at St. Joseph’s Health, said in his remarks on Thursday. Trinity Health and St. Joseph’s announced the grant funding during an event at the Salt Quarters Building at 301 Wyoming St. in Syracuse.

Trinity Health on Feb. 17 announced the TCI grant recipients in a news release on its website. The program involves the investment of about $80 million in grants, loans, community match dollars and services for six communities, including Syracuse, over the next five years.

St. Joseph’s Health is part of Trinity Health, “one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health-care delivery systems in the nation,” according to its website.

St. Joseph’s Health on April 28, 2015 transferred its nonprofit sponsorship from the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities to Trinity Health’s Catholic Health Ministries.

Trinity Health had asked for all of the communities it serves in 21 states to apply for the funding, Dr. Bechara Choucair, senior VP for safety net transformation & community health at Trinity Health, said in his remarks on Thursday.

Through this initiative, Trinity Health is investing in partnerships nationwide that address some of the “root causes” of poor health to encourage “beneficial health care” and community collaborations, according to a news release that St. Joseph’s issued Thursday.

Partners in the Syracuse Health Coalition include St. Joseph’s Health, Onondaga County Health Department (OCHD), Near Westside Initiative, Northside Urban Partnership, Lerner Center at Syracuse University, and HealtheConnections.

St. Joseph’s Health will serve as the lead organization for this project.

The coalition partners have already jointly participated in “multiple” community programs and meet “regularly” to discuss current initiatives, ideas, and opportunities to leverage work and investments.

Funding objectives
The Syracuse Health Coalition will use the funding to address “tobacco use, physical activity, and nutrition,” said Murphy.

“We’ll increase opportunities to favor routine, easy choices for healthy lifestyles in the Syracuse community. Expected community benefits include reduced rates of smoking, reduced … obesity rates, improved access to nutrition and physical-activity opportunities, fewer health disparities, and enhanced community wellness,” said Murphy.

The groups involved will also focus on creating early childhood nutrition standards; along with food and beverage standards and a policy to increase physical activity in the Syracuse City School District.

The Onondaga County Health Department will be involved in several of the project connected to this grant funding.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com