GRANT – On hand for Wednesday’s check presentation were representatives from three of the four Jefferson County organizations that received $42,400 in grants from the Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley’s River Valley Health Fund. From left: Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the Sycamore Youth Center; Ann Quillen, executive director of the Ohio Valley Health Center; Shelly Carenbauer, board member of the River Valley Health Fund; Health Commissioner Andrew Henry; and Kylie Smogonovich, director of nursing for the Jefferson County General Health District. Urban Mission Ministries Inc. also received a grant. – Contributed by
WHEELING – The Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley on Wednesday announced the 21 recipients of this year’s River Valley Health Fund grants, including four Jefferson County organizations.
A total of $150,239.33 was awarded to support initiatives to improve health and wellness in the Ohio Valley. Of these funds, $42,400 was allocated to initiatives at the Sycamore Youth Center, Ohio Valley Health Center, Urban Mission Ministries Inc. and the Jefferson County General Health District.
Founded in 1972, CFOV promotes philanthropic giving in the Upper Ohio Valley region. According to Debbie Stanton, program officer for the foundation, CFOV has leveraged donor funds for charitable purposes and strategic investments, disbursing $3 million in grants and scholarships last year alone.
As one of the CFOV’s subfunds, RVHF continues the charitable work of the former nonprofit Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital after they were sold to the for-profit Alecto Healthcare Hospitals. The Fund provides healthcare or education grants to or on behalf of nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties in West Virginia and Belmont, Jefferson, Monroe, Guernsey and Harrison counties in Ohio.
“We are delighted to be supporting such a diverse group of organisations this year,” This was stated by CFOV Executive Director Susie Nelson in a press release. “Each of these projects plays a critical role in addressing our community’s most pressing healthcare needs. From mental health initiatives to critical medical equipment, these grants will have a meaningful impact on individuals and families across the Ohio Valley.”
The Sycamore Youth Center, located at 301 N. Fourth St. in Steubenville, received $20,000 to support its after-school program. Executive Director Bobbyjon Bauman said this is the center’s first grant from the RVHF, although it has previously received grants from CFOV’s Community Impact Fund.
Bauman said the funds would help cover the cost of food, gas and supplies associated with the various health-related classes held at the center throughout the year, which include classes on cooking, nutrition, indoor and outdoor recreational activities and martial arts, among others.
The center provides meals to participating youth, which amounts to about 100 people per day and 500 per week. In addition, the center provides 350 lunches for students at East Garfield Elementary School on Fridays and operates a mobile food distribution during the summer, delivering about 6,000 meals to six different locations in Steubenville and Wintersville.
“We are very grateful that (the CFOV) has recognized the value of what we as an organization do for Steubenville and the surrounding area,” said Baumann.
Ohio Valley Health Center, which serves people with little or no health insurance, received $10,000 from the RVHF to purchase an echocardiogram machine for use as a diagnostic tool at its clinic at 432 South Street in Steubenville. Like Sycamore, the OVHC has a history with the CFOV, but this is the first year it has received funding from the RVHF, noted Executive Director Ann Quillen.
An echocardiogram, Quillen explained, is a noninvasive test that provides data about heart function that can be used to determine treatment plans and adjust medications. This data can determine whether a person with heart disease is medically fit to return to work.
“Twenty percent of our patients suffer from heart disease,” Said Quillen. “Often, people without health insurance cannot afford a diagnostic echocardiogram, even when it is medically necessary. Now that we have a machine on site, we can perform this test on-site for any patient who needs it, at no cost to the patient.”
The OVHC can purchase the machine through this grant as well as two other funding sources, Quillen said. An order has already been placed and the machine is expected to arrive within two months. Once training is complete, Quillen said, the machine will be ready for use.
Urban Mission Ministries Inc. – a Christian nonprofit based in Steubenville that provides food, shelter and other services to local low-income individuals and families – received a $7,500 grant to support its Healthy Food for All initiative. Executive Director Rev. Ashley Steele noted that “always a gift and a blessing” to promote further projects with the support of CFOV, with whom the Urban Mission has been working for years.
The application of Urban Mission focused on “Using food as a powerful force for good”, Steele said, and it builds on healthy eating initiatives the nonprofit already has in place at its food bank and shelters. The funding will help purchase appropriate storage and distribution equipment for perishable foods, such as refrigerators and biodegradable to-go containers, Steele said.
Additionally, the funding will help expand the nonprofit’s meal preparation education program, which currently serves between 20 and 30 people, into a mass food preparation program that is expected to serve more than 100 meals per day. The meals will be prepared in the commercial kitchen at Urban Mission’s future Seventh Street Plaza location, construction of which could begin in late September and be fully completed in about six months.
The Jefferson County Health Department, the JCGHD, received $4,900 to purchase a lead testing machine. This is the second time the department has received a grant from the CFOV. The first grant was awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the department’s response, said Health Commissioner Andrew Henry.
Jefferson County is a high-risk area for lead because many older homes are built with lead-containing materials such as paint, Henry said. Additionally, some area residents may not be able to afford cleaning supplies to reduce their risk of exposure.
This year, the JCGHD received a lead education and awareness grant from the Ohio Department of Health, which allowed it to provide free cleaning supplies to individuals and create public service announcements about the effects of high lead levels, especially on children. Feedback has been positive, and some people have asked for testing, Henry said, although the department has not been able to provide it so far.
A billing request has already been submitted to the department’s medical supply vendor, Henry said. The plan is to install the machine in the department’s sixth-floor office in the Jefferson County Tower building (500 Market St., Steubenville) and it will likely be operational by September or October at the latest.
The device is available to anyone but requires a doctor’s order, which can be issued by the department’s medical director, Dr. Janie Culp. The test is covered by the patient’s health insurance, Henry said.
“We are ideally positioned for lead testing because we have WIC customers who keep coming in for card loading and assessment. We also have the diaper bank and Cribs for Kids, so we constantly see high-risk customers in practice,” Said Henry.
“It will be another value-add for us when clients come to us and seek services. If we can give them a lead test and find high lead levels, we can share that information with their pediatrician and allow them to make that medical decision – not to lower their lead levels, but to have those conversations (about risks). … That way, again, we can make sure they’re in a healthy and safe environment.”
