Dignity Health Central Coast market has awarded $487,500 in funding to six unique community nonprofit partnerships in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Dignity Health Central Coast includes Marian Regional Medical Center (MRMC), Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH), and French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC)

Representatives from each nonprofit group attended the breakfast award ceremony April 9 at French Hospital in San Luis Obispo to acknowledge their service in providing critical health and human services to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo county residents.

Grants are awarded through a Community Health Improvement Grants Program created by the Dignity Health parent company CommonSpirit Health.

The annual Community Health Improvement Grants program is designed to help nonprofit organizations with an interest in building healthier communities by improving health and living conditions.

Criteria for this funding cycle were based on the following priority areas identified in the hospitals 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment: Unmet Vital Conditions that included transportation, financial assistance, child care, food insecurity, education, environment, behavioral health, and substance use disorder. 

This year, the Dignity Health Community Grants were awarded to the following local six Accountable Care Communities:

K-12 Mental Health Counseling: Reclaiming the Lost Year, Preparing for the Future

This project will address behavioral health needs among the youth. It will provide on-campus and virtual services clinical counseling services for students with mild to moderate mental health needs.

The project will provide individual and group support and class presentations provide early intervention that prevents mild to moderate conditions from escalating, and reduces the stigma of mental health counseling, creating a more supportive student community.

The program will be offered to all schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District and SLO Coastal Unified School District

Fiscal Agent: Community Counseling Center of SLO County

Hearts Aligned Inc.

Hearts Aligned  will provide comprehensive services to 70 low-income families that have a child classified as critically ill by the referring medical professional. They will provide direct financial assistance up to $2,500 which may include rent, utilities, auto expenses, gas and grocery cards, insurance, lodging and other essentials to help families at their most vulnerable time.

Fiscal Agent: Hearts Aligned Inc.

Transitional Housing and Small Business Financial Education for Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence Survivors in San Luis Obispo County

The project will address the need for transitional housing (TH) and supportive services for unhoused and at-risk sexual assault and intimate partner violence survivors in San Luis Obispo County.

The Transitional Housing Program will partner with the Mission Community Service Corporation Women’s Business Center’s to provide small business workshops, training, and one-on-one consulting to survivors in the TH program.

TH clients focus on self-sufficiency with Lumina Alliance advocates, including housing and financial stability, and specialized tools like the proposed workshops will improve their outcomes and independence post-trauma.

Fiscal Agent: Lumina Alliance

Harm Reduction Navigation in Santa Barbara County

The project will address the need of harm reduction services among the unhoused. Harm reduction navigation specialists will work with clients reached through their syringe exchange program and referred from partnering agencies, including Hope Village and the FARO Center.

Harm reduction navigation will be offered in both English and Spanish, ensuring that outreach, education, and linkages are culturally sensitive and accessible to clients.

Fiscal Agent: Pacific Pride Foundation

Senior Home Delivery

The project will address the need for healthy food for homebound, low-income seniors in San Luis Obispo County. Senior Home Delivery will  provide seniors who are unable to access Food Bank distribution sites with weekly grocery delivery directly to their homes.  

Fiscal Agent: SLO Food Bank

The Salvation Army San Luis Obispo Corps Street Outreach Program

The project will address housing among the unsheltered. The Salvation Army will  work alongside its partners to connect individuals and families to services and eventually to housing. 

The Salvation Army case manager will  provide basic needs: hygiene kits, food, water, etc.,  document obtainment assistance and referrals to other community resources including health information.

Fiscal Agent: The Salvation Army San Luis Corps

For more about Dignity Health Central Coast, visit dignityhealth.org/centralcoast.

Learn more about CommonSpirit Health at commonspirit.org.