Community Programs
Throughout our long history, our hospitals have evolved - but our mission remains unchanged. In collaboration with others, Dignity Health and the local Mercy hospitals work to promote healthy communities, especially for the poor. We respect and embrace this responsibility and welcome you to join us in our outreach programs.
Each year, Dignity Health supports more than 70 different programs that offer medical care and other benefits for vulnerable populations and the broader community - ranging from clinic services for low-income families, to AIDS support, to asthma and wellness programs, among others. In 2007, Dignity Health provided more than $922 million in community benefit and free care for the poor (including traditional charity care and unreimbursed costs of public insurance programs).
In addition, every three years, Dignity Health, along with the other health systems in Sacramento, collaborate on a Community Health Needs Assessment for the Greater Sacramento Region. This assessment captures a picture of the region's diverse population and its health needs along with the experiences of consumers and their challenges in accessing healthcare. It offers a broad overview of regional health trends and identifies opportunities to address critical needs through community benefit activities.
Here are some of the outreach programs that Dignity Health and the local Mercy hospitals contribute to the greater community:
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CARES (Center for AIDS Research, Education and Services) - CARES provides medical, psychological, pharmaceutical and social support services to those in the Greater Sacramento area with HIV/AIDS.
Catholic School Nurse Program - Provides free state-mandated health screenings and other health services to low-income, underserved children attending several Sacramento-area Catholic elementary schools. The program also provides free first-aid supplies to all Catholic schools in the Sacramento-area.
Community Grants Program - Supports nonprofit organizations addressing critical health and human services in areas served by Dignity Health.
Healthy Families - The Healthy Kids program aims to improve the health of children in Sacramento by increasing access to low- and no-cost healthcare.
MercyClinic Loaves & Fishes - Provides free episodic and urgent healthcare to Sacramento's homeless in partnership with Sacramento County and the Loaves & Fishes organization.
MercyClinic Norwood - Located in Del Paso Heights, this clinic provides primary care services to the uninsured, Medi-Cal and Blue Cross Geographic Managed Care population.
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Mercy Family Health Center - The Mercy Family Health Center houses the Methodist Hospital Family Practice Residency program. This program trains an ethnically diverse group of medical school graduates in the Family Practice specialty.
Mercy Faith & Health Partnership - An interfaith health ministry program advocating health promotion and disease prevention through faith communities.
Perinatal Recovery Network - Mercy's Perinatal Recovery Network serves pregnant and postpartum women who have experienced substance abuse problems - many of them low-income and uninsured - to help them overcome their addictions, deliver healthier babies and prevent their children from being placed in foster care.
SPIRIT Project
(Sacramento Physician's Initiative to Reach Out, Innovate and Teach) - The SPIRIT project is a collaborative effort to provide new, more effective ways to serve the uninsured and working poor in the Sacramento area using volunteer physicians.
Trauma Prevention Program
(Mercy San Juan Medical Center Trauma Prevention Program) - Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death to children locally and in the United States. The program provides outreach, education and safety equipment to parents, caregivers and children to prevent these tragic deaths.
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