The five hospitals affiliated with Samaritan Health Services have awarded a total of $418,457 in Social Accountability grants to forty-four of our local service organizations, to be distributed over the next twelve months. Social Accountability grants are awarded within Benton, Lincoln and Linn counties. Funding decisions are made by committees consisting of employees and board members at each Samaritan-affiliated hospital. Funded programs address unmet needs of underserved populations and improve overall community health.

These Social Accountability grants are part of the larger Samaritan Community Benefit program, which encompasses the organization’s efforts to build healthier communities by providing direct and in-kind support for health-related services such as health screenings, health professions education, health research and community health activities.

Community Benefit also encompasses the charity care that Samaritan provides to low-income patients. In 2015, Samaritan invested more than $118 million in community benefit activities and services.

To be eligible for funding, programs must:

• Focus on unmet needs in underserved populations;
• Be collaborative, involving partnerships with other organizations;
• Focus on improving the health status in the community;
• Use quality indicators to measure progress and outcomes, reporting results and sharing them widely to attract more resources;
• Plan for self-sufficiency, where appropriate;
• Operate efficiently, ideally with an administrative overhead of 15 percent or less.

The 2016 Social Accountability grants were awarded to:

Lincoln County

• Court Appointed Special Advocates of Lincoln & Tillamook County
• Coastal Range Food Bank
• Crestview Heights School
• Community Services Consortium – Head Start
• Community Services Consortium – HELPS Program
• Family Promise
• Food Share of Lincoln County
• Lincoln County School District – After School Program
• Lincoln County School District – LIFT Program
• Neighbors for Kids
• North End Senior Solutions
• Northwest Coastal Housing
• Retired Senior Volunteer Program
• Seashore Family Literacy
• Second Home
• Senior Meals/Meals on Wheels
• The Salvation Army

Information provided by Samaritan Hospitals