Aurora Health Care Announces Recipients of 2016 Better Together Fund Grants

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Health Care today announced it is awarding a total of $5 million in grants through the Aurora Health Care Better Together Fund to more than 40 community organizations, colleges and universities throughout eastern Wisconsin. The funds will help improve access to primary care, behavioral health and sexual assault and domestic violence prevention services.

This is the second year of the Better Together Fund. Organizations that received support in 2015 have been able to better serve more people by hiring additional staff, offering new services, enhancing skills training, building out needed clinic space, and more.

"The Better Together Fund enables Aurora to effectively partner with organizations that are vital links to health care for people in our communities," said Nick Turkal, MD, president and CEO of Aurora. "We've seen incredible results from our initial investment, and we look forward to working closely with this year's recipients, with a shared goal of helping people live well."

This year, Aurora Health Care selected 42 entities to each receive a portion of $5 million in cash or in-kind support. Community organizations from across eastern Wisconsin were invited to submit a proposal for funding consideration earlier this year to the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, which is aiding in the administration of the grants.

Grant recipients this year are:

• Advocates of Ozaukee County, Ozaukee County, received two separate grants: $40,000 to establish a regional child advocacy center serving Washington, Ozaukee and Sheboygan counties and $35,000 to expand child sexual assault counseling services and offer prevention training and materials to local schools and community groups;
• AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Brown and Kenosha counties, $85,258 to expand access to the center's pre-exposure prophylaxis clinic for high-risk individuals to prevent HIV transmission;
• Albrecht Free Clinic, Washington County, $25,000 to continue assessment and training in the SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, referral for treatment) model for staff and behavioral health access;
• Benedict Center, Milwaukee County, $95,000 to expand capacity of Women's Re-entry Program at the House of Correction, including an in-home case manager;
• Bread of Healing Clinic, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to expand capacity of the behavioral health program, including the hiring of a project manager and behavioral health coordinator;
• Carroll University, Waukesha County, $100,000 to enhance staff resources to combat sexual assault violence, encourage bystander intervention and offer response training to school staff;
• Catholic Charities, Milwaukee County, $56,000 to offer home-based behavioral health services for at-risk women and children;
• City on a Hill, Milwaukee County, $75,000 to hire a health navigator, provide outreach to homeless populations and offer a medical home to marginalized, high-risk populations;
• CORE/El Centro,  Milwaukee County, $100,000 to hire a health navigator, expand outreach and expand services to additional patients;
• Eagle's Wing Free Clinic, Waukesha County, $7,500 to update IT system and purchase new medical equipment;
• Greater Milwaukee Free Clinic, Milwaukee County, $86,000 to transition from an all-volunteer model by hiring a full-time executive director and an advanced nurse practitioner, allowing the clinic to offer more hours;
• Health Care Network, Racine County, $100,000 to add behavioral health services, hire a licensed clinical practitioner and offer translation services for Spanish-speaking clients;
• HELP of Door County, Brown and Door counties, $60,000 to establish a safe visitation and exchange program for children affected by domestic abuse, sexual assault or child abuse;
• IMPACT Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to increase capacity, adding an AODA specialist to screen patients for behavioral health needs and addiction treatment services;
• Lad Lake, Waukesha County, $86,207 to hire a full-time coordinator for sexually exploited youth, offer a specialized day program for trafficking survivors and expand staff training;
• Lake Area Free Clinic, Waukesha County, $77,058 to establish a pilot transportation program, hire a patient service coordinator and psychiatric provider, as well as increase marketing and outreach;
• Lakeland University, Sheboygan County, $144,920 to hire two staff members to present sexual assault violence education and prevention materials and advocate for victims on campus;
• Lakeshore Community Health Care, Sheboygan and Manitowoc Counties, $245,000 to establish tele-psychiatry services and hire a psychiatric provider;
• LifeStriders Therapeutic Riding Center, Waukesha County, $45,000 to expand services for low-income and high-risk children in Milwaukee County and add a therapist to staff;
• Marquette University, Milwaukee County, $134,033 to expand sexual assault violence prevention through education and expand the partnership with the Sexual Assault Treatment Center at Aurora Sinai by adding on-call staff;
• Meta House, Milwaukee County, $75,000 to offer transportation during the first two weeks of AODA treatment for women and children to increase retention;
• Milwaukee Center for Children and Youth, Milwaukee County, $68,500 to increase primary care and behavioral health access for youth affected by sexual or domestic violence and add a youth advocate for care management;
• Milwaukee Center for Independence, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to partially fund the building of a new facility for the Whole Health Clinical Group Clinic, bringing all services under one roof;
• Milwaukee Health Services, Milwaukee County, $173,200 to hire a social worker, nutritionist and community health worker;
• Open Arms Free Clinic, Walworth County, $100,000 to expand the professional staff to include an RN in-care coordinator and an MSW-level social worker post-care navigator;
• Pathfinders, Milwaukee County, $50,000 to establish New Paths Human Trafficking Initiative, to advocate and support victims of human trafficking or exploitation;
• Penfield Children's Center, Milwaukee County, $90,000 to expand behavioral health services, increase community outreach and establish a classroom-based program at Penfield Montessori Academy;
• Progressive Community Health Centers, Milwaukee County, $126,300 to hire two MSW-level case managers, an HR specialist and increase marketing outreach;
• Reach Counseling, Winnebago County, $100,000 to hire a clinical specialist and peer specialist to expand treatment and support for youth and families affected by abuse and/or trafficking;
• Safe Harbor of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, $100,000 to increase capacity in therapy, youth and sexual assault services programs;
• St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, Milwaukee County, $250,000 to build out medical clinic space at its Bucyrus campus;
• St. Joseph's Medical Clinic, Waukesha County, $67,000 to expand services to include nutrition, occupational and physical therapy, as well as behavioral health services;
• Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, Milwaukee County, $1 million in-kind donation of a clinic building to house new primary care and behavioral health services;
• Sojourner Family Peace Center, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to expand youth case management by hiring a youth trauma support specialist;
• The Women's Center, Waukesha County, $17,431 to hire a community educator, two youth counselors and provide education on sexual assault violence prevention;
• United Community Center, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to partially fund the expansion of the Latinas Unidas program that provides treatment for mothers and expectant mothers with behavioral health needs;
• University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Winnebago County, $156,251 to expand violence prevention education on campus and increase crisis advocacy for student victims of sexual violence;
• University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Foundation, Winnebago County, $78,171 for College of Nursing's Healthy Living Clinic to increase outreach to Hispanic community members and address diabetic patients' nutritional wellness and access to healthy food;
• Walworth County Alliance for Children, Walworth County, $36,000 to implement a multiple family group therapy program for families affected by sexual or domestic violence;
• WLCFS-Christian Family Solutions, Milwaukee County, $100,000 to expand Student Assistance Program, counseling students in the school setting who have been affected by violence;
• Women's Resource Center of Racine, Racine County, $50,000 to expand operations of The Dover Healing House, a shelter and education facility in western Racine County and provide legal advocacy and child and adult counseling.

For more information on the Better Together Fund, visit AuroraHealthCare.org.

About Aurora Health Care:

Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin-area health care provider and a national leader in efforts to improve health care quality. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Aurora is Wisconsin's most comprehensive health care provider and the state's largest private employer. Aurora serves more than 1.2 million patients every year via a comprehensive network of facilities, services and providers, including 15 hospitals, more than 150 clinics, more than 70 pharmacies and more than 32,000 caregivers. As evidenced by more than 300 active clinical trials, Aurora is dedicated to delivering innovations to provide the best possible care today, and to define the best care for tomorrow. Get helpful health and wellness information via the Aurora MyHealth blog, our Facebook page, our Twitter account and our Pinterest account.

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