San Diego CA— The San Diego American Indian Health Center (SDAIHC) has received several significant grants in the past month. SDAIHC was awarded $190,000 from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to help the health center address the challenges its clients face from COVID-19, including stress, isolation, and anxiety. SDAIHC will use a portion of the CDC funding to increase the availability of behavioral health services at the clinic.
 SDAIHC also received more than $1.5 million from Indian Health Services to initiate a large-scale COVID-19 testing program. With these grant funds, SDAIHC has purchased two mobile vans, which it will use to bring testing where it is needed and vaccinate those in need once a successful COVID-19 vaccine is produced. A portion of those funds will support significant improvements to the health center’s information technology infrastructure. This will include a new electronic health record system that will enable our healthcare providers to collaborate better with the patients they serve.
Additionally, SDAIHC established an exciting grant partnership with Johns Hopkins University and the Nicholas Kristof COVID-19 Impact Initiative that provides emergency assistance funds directly to urban Native Americans who receive care at the health center. The grant funds a two-week hotel stay if the client or a family member needs to quarantine away from family members who have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The grant also provides funds for purchasing food, paying utility bills, and purchasing necessary medication; it even can provide rent assistance to individuals who have been furloughed or lost their job, and are at risk of losing their homes. That program is being administered by the National Council of Urban Indian Health.
“We’re honored and excited to announce these grants, which are vital to SDAIHC during this pandemic,” said Kevin M. LaChapelle, EdD, MPA, CEO of the San Diego American Indian Health Center. “We would also like to note John Hopkins and the Nicholas Kristof COVID-19 Impact Initiative as a prime example of philanthropy working to specifically support urban Native Americans who have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.”
LaChapelle added, “On a final and important note, we would like to acknowledge August 2020 as Immunization Awareness Month. While students may not be returning to school physically, they still need to keep their immunizations current, as do all adults. SDAIHC is providing the immunizations that everybody needs at our clinic. We also hope to be using the vans in the fall to bring flu vaccinations to those in need.”