Sentara Cares Fall Grants Supporting Shenandoah Valley Organizations

Sentara Healthcare held two grant cycles in 2022, providing more than $10 million in investments to organizations working to advance health equity and create healthier communities. Most recently, $5 million in funding went to support nearly 100 partner organizations in Virginia and North Carolina through the Fall 2022 Sentara Cares grant cycle.

As part of the grant funding, 12 community partners in the Harrisonburg area received a total of more than $518,000.

These investments expand on Sentara’s long-standing commitment to address social determinants of health and promote equitable access to care in traditionally underserved communities—efforts strengthened through numerous grassroots partnerships with community and faith-based organizations.

“The Sentara Cares grants are so important because they directly address the most pressing needs of our neighbors,” said Doug Moyer, president of Sentara RMH Medical Center. “The funding extends our reach and allows us to improve the total health and wellness of our community on many different levels. That’s our mission and the shared mission of the partner agencies we’re assisting.”

Sentara prioritizes funding for community partners and initiatives that align with our primary focus areas.

Sherry Norquist, MSN-RN, Sentara director of community engagement and impact added, “We are hopeful that through our ongoing investments and collaboration with community partners and faith-based leaders who share our mission, together we will continue to create opportunities to advance health equity and eliminate disparities in the communities where we live, work and play.”

The 12 local community partners receiving funding from the fall 2022 Sentara Cares grant cycle include:

• Adagio House
• AVA Care of Harrisonburg
• Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation Inc.
• Blue Ridge Free Clinic
• Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg-Rockingham
• Central Valley Habitat for Humanity
• Foundation for Rehabilitation Equipment and Endowment (FREE) of Harrisonburg
• Our Community Place
• Shenandoah Housing Corporation
• Shenandoah LGBTQ Center
• The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham
• The Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County

The Sentara Cares program strives to foster sustainable community partnerships around social determinants of health—specifically housing, food security, behavioral health services, skilled career training, and equitable access to care—and we cannot do this work alone.

"Our Community Place greatly appreciates the support from Sentara Cares as we seek to place homeless individuals into housing, and then provide the supportive case management necessary for them to overcome the barriers that might return them to homelessness,” said Sam Nickels, executive director, Our Community Place, Harrisonburg VA. “Sentara understands the importance of supporting this work for our community, and OCP appreciates Sentara's support!"

"Bridge of Hope will be expanding their program in 2023 to nearly triple the number of families we are serving,” said Christi Hoover Seidel, executive director of Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg-Rockingham. “The Sentara grant will go a long way to fund our service to more homeless single-parent families in our community. We are grateful."

Susan Adamson, volunteer director for Blue Ridge Free Clinic added the Clinic would not be operational were it not for the support of Sentara. “This generous Sentara Cares grant provides a strong foundation for the Blue Ridge Free Clinic to be a ‘bridge to health’ for anyone with unmet medical needs,” Adamson said.

Blue Ridge Community College president, Dr. John A. Downey said, “The generosity of Sentara RMH, as a long-time friend and supporter of Blue Ridge Community College, creates an impact that has helped countless students in their pursuit of health care professions. In particular, this most recent grant funding will support our Nursing, EMS, and non-credit healthcare programs - which in turn all directly benefit our community.”

The 2023 grant cycles will be open in February for the spring session and June for the fall session. Visit SentaraCares.com to learn more.