Bloomington Health Foundation President & CEO Reflects on 2023 Impact
Colleagues, Friends, and Bloomington Community Members,
As we reflect on the past year, I’m so proud of the work we’ve done together as a community to help more people in the South Central Indiana region get the care they need.
In nearly six decades of serving the Greater Bloomington community, Bloomington Health Foundation has seen firsthand that the complexity of our local health challenges and the barriers that stop community members from accessing health services are far too great for anyone to take on alone. In 2023, alongside our board, neighbors, and agency partners, we had opportunities to address many health disparities and place donated dollars where they count most.
This year, we:
- Awarded $38,000 to the Bloomington Parks Foundation to increase the number of lifesaving AEDs available from two park and recreation facilities, to 11.
- Empowered HealthNet Bloomington to recruit a licensed psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, which expanded its Homelessness Initiative Program from one day a week to four days per week. HealthNet Bloomington then became one of only two recipients to receive a national grant award from the Street Medicine Institute.
- Collaborated with other funding partners to ensure the 9-8-8 Mobile Crisis program had adequate transportation to transport those who are in a state of crisis to a safe place.
- Invested $100,000 to update patient furniture at Hospice House and cover expenses of Camp Good Grief for children who have to process the unfortunate, unexpected losses of loved ones.
- Provided ongoing, multi-year grant funding to a number of community partners, including $311,000 to Cancer Support Community South Central Indiana.
As we look ahead to 2024, Bloomington Health Foundation is honored to continue championing a community where every individual has access to the care they need. In the year ahead, we’re especially excited to launch a multi-million-dollar, multi-year mental health and substance use initiative aimed at empowering community partners to work collaboratively to address and improve outcomes related to mental health and addiction.
None of these accomplishments would be possible without your support. Thank you for your continued commitment to caring for the needs of our community. We look forward to making more impact in the year to come!
Sincerely,
Michelle Gilchrist
President & CEO, Bloomington Health Foundation