Sierra HOPE Receives $250,000 Grant For Calaveras County Health Initiatives

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Calaveras, CA– Sierra HOPE has been awarded a $250,000 grant from Dignity Health’s CalAIM Homeless Health Initiative to support new health services in Calaveras County. The funding will be used to launch the Calaveras Rural Street Health and Hospital Discharge Pilot Program, a collaborative effort involving Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans Anthem and Health Net, the Calaveras County Health and Human Services Agency, Mark Twain Medical Center, Valley Springs Health and Wellness Center, and Sierra HOPE.

The Rural Street Health outreach initiative, led by the Calaveras County Public Health Department, will deploy a mobile clinic van to underserved areas throughout the county. This van will provide medical and dental care to those without permanent housing. A portion of the grant, $75,750, will be used to purchase a shower trailer that will accompany the health van, along with additional supplies. The remaining $165,000 will help establish the Interim Housing for the Hospital Discharge program at Sierra HOPE’s Hope House. This funding will be used to remodel a portion of the facility to create three bedrooms with shared living spaces, a kitchen, and a bathroom. These beds will be made available to homeless Medi-Cal patients who need a place to continue their recovery after being discharged from the hospital. This new program is expected to address a significant gap in the community and provide Sierra HOPE with a new revenue stream to enhance financial stability.

In addition to the CalAIM grant, Sierra HOPE received $8,000 from Anthem to address food insecurity, with $6,000 allocated to support the Nutrition Assistance project for HIV clients and $2,000 to offset costs in the Community Food Pantry. Another grant of $2,000 from Adventist Health Sonora will support Sierra HOPE’s housing programs and HIV case management services.