The Stupski Foundation has awarded $15 million to seven community health centers in Hawaii to help improve health equity. The funding will be used to address social determinants of health, such as housing, food insecurity, and transportation. The grants are unrestrictive, allowing the selected health centers to have the freedom to adopt a comprehensive systems approach to health equity without limitations of specific health interventions or programs.
The Stupski Foundation has awarded $15 million to seven community health centers in Hawaii to help improve health equity. The funding will be used to address social determinants of health (SDOH), which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. SDOH can have a significant impact on health outcomes, and they are often unequally distributed among different populations.
The seven health centers that received funding are:
- Central Oahu Community Health Center
- Hawaii Island Community Health Center
- Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services
- Maui Family Health Centers
- Neighbor Island Community Clinics
- Waimānalo Health Center
- West Oahu Community Health Center
The funding will be used to support a variety of initiatives, including:
- Expanding access to primary care
- Providing preventive care
- Addressing social determinants of health, such as housing, food insecurity, and transportation
- Training healthcare providers on how to address SDOH
- Conducting research on SDOH and health equity
The Stupski Foundation is a private foundation that supports initiatives that improve the health and well-being of children and families. The foundation’s investment in community health centers in Hawaii is a significant step towards improving health equity in the state.
“We’re humbled by the extraordinary award from the Stupski Foundation to support the perpetuation of Native Hawaiian healing at our health center,” said Mary Oneha, chief executive officer of Waimānalo Health Center. “This partnership will help improve food security and support the expansion of access to oral health care through the opening of a new dental clinic in Kāne‘ohe and an expanded dental clinic in Waimānalo.”
Richard Taaffe, CEO of Hawaii Island Community Health Center, expressed excitement for the initiative, highlighting innovative efforts that will enable significant changes within their communities.
The grants are unrestrictive, allowing the selected health centers to have the freedom to adopt a comprehensive systems approach to health equity without limitations of specific health interventions or programs.
This strategic approach enables the centers to plan and implement sustainable, long-term solutions to address SDOH and health equity, the organizations said.
“What’s important about this level of partnership is that it can promote more significant health equity and improved social outcomes far beyond the Foundation’s lifespan,” noted Sulma Gandhi, Hawaii Health Program Officer for Stupski Foundation. “And being able to do that over four years with organizations who are committed to sustainable health equity is inspiring.”
“This collaborative, community-driven grant helps us all get to the core question philanthropic organizations should answer,” Gandhi added. “How can we be impactful and of service by relinquishing both control and power and trust in our partners to address equity in ways that they know best, rather than what we as funders think should be done?”
Emphasizing the significance of such partnerships, David Derauf, chief executive officer of Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, remarked, “Partnerships like these, built on listening, mutual respect, and trust, are how we truly heal our communities. This is going to be exciting.”
