Walnut Creek, CA – John Muir Health recently released its annual Community Benefit Report highlighting the San Francisco East Bay health care system’s contributions to the community. In 2023, John Muir Health contributed $194.9 million – an increase of more than $41 million from 2022.
As a not-for-profit health care system, John Muir Health’s mission is to improve the health of the communities it serves with quality and compassion. Top community needs are addressed by providing grant funding to local nonprofit partners, medical and mental health services for uninsured and Medi-Cal patients, health care workforce training and other community services.
“Our commitment to excellence in patient care parallels our dedication to improving the health of the entire community,” said Mike Thomas, president and CEO of John Muir Health. “We appreciate all our staff, providers and partners who are critical to these efforts and share our mission and vision.”
In 2023, John Muir Health launched a three-year grant cycle to invest in 33 nonprofit partnerships addressing health care access and delivery, behavioral health, and housing insecurity/homelessness prevention. These priorities were identified after a comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessment, which takes place every three years. A key element of this work is also to address structural racism and the health disparities it causes in the community.
“John Muir Health recognizes that health outcomes are directly impacted by racism and social inequities,” said Jamie Elmasu, director, Community Health Improvement. “We’re committed to investing in our nonprofit partners to create and adopt interventions that promote equity within their individual organizations, boards, staff, and the community.”
Several John Muir Health partners were featured in the 2023 report as exemplars, including Operation Access. More than 30 John Muir Health-affiliated surgeons, nurses and staff volunteer their time and services at John Muir Health facilities to treat uninsured patients through Operation Access.
“We are here to eliminate barriers, provide interpreters, and help with transportation, or travel to get patients into vital treatment—and John Muir Health is one of our greatest allies,” said Nadia Thind, associate director at Operation Access.
Goodness Village, which is a partner organization in Livermore, provides small homes and vital services for unhoused people who were previously living in cars or tents. The organization has supported diverse staff development.
Another featured partner, Support4Recovery focuses on people and families struggling with substance and alcohol use in the Latino community, which faces substantial barriers in accessing treatment. Support4Recovery has intentionally recruited people with lived experiences to serve on its board of directors.
At the Alameda County Food Bank, a part of the grant from John Muir Health goes toward an innovative program called Client Voice, which helps food distribution sites understand how to better serve their communities’ changing demographics. Locations that historically served African American families are now serving more Latinos, Hmong and other Asian communities.
“Our approach to community benefit is guided by feedback we hear from our community health improvement partners,” said Elmasu. “We also work closely with them to measure the effectiveness of programs and services so that we can ensure they are having the highest possible impact in support of people in need.”
Community Benefit Programs & Partnerships
We proudly support multiple John Muir Health-led programs that provide direct services to our community. We provide grant partnerships with 33 nonprofit organizations and partner with five school districts to implement programs that address our top community needs.
John Muir Health-Led Programs Community Partnerships
HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND DELIVERY
- Community School Nurse
- Diabetes Education Empowerment Program
- Every Woman Counts
- Lung Cancer Screening
- Mobile Health Clinic
- Ronald McDonald Mobile Dental Clinic and Dental Collaborative of Contra Costa
- Specialty Care Program
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
- Beyond Violence
- Complex Community Care Coordination
- Restorative Justice Initiative
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
- Mobile Health Clinic
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
- CLIMB Near Peer Mentorship Program
- Family Medicine Residency Program Vulnerable Populations Curriculum Program
- Pharmacy Residency Program
- Nursing Residency Program
- Young Healers High School Program
Community Partnerships
HEALTHCARE ACCESS AND DELIVERY
- Contra Costa Health Services (Healthcare for the Homeless and Oral Health Program)
- Independent Living Resources
- Inspiring Communities
- Junior Achievement of Northern California
- La Clínica de La Raza
- Lifelong Medical Care
- Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
- Monument Impact
- Operation Access
- Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California
- RotaCare Bay Area (Alamo, Concord Pittsburg, Richmond)
- St. Vincent de Paul
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
- Center for Human Development
- Family Justice Centers of Contra Costa
- Fred Finch Youth and Family Services
- Meals on Wheels Diablo Region
- Mental Health Connections
- Monument Crisis Center
- Monument Impact
- NAMI of Contra Costa
- One Day at a Time
- Planting Justice
- RYSE Center
- Three Valleys Community Foundation
- Village Community Resource Center
- Women’s Cancer Resource Center
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
- Alameda County Community Food Bank
- Contra Costa Health Services Healthcare for the Homeless
- Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties
- Goodness Village
- Healthy and Active Before Five
- Hope Solutions
- Philip Dorn Respite Center CCC Housing and Homeless Services
- Shelter, Inc.
- Support4Recovery
- Trinity Center
- Vituity Cares Foundation
- White Pony Express
SCHOOL PARTNERS
- Antioch Unified School District
- Bentwood Union School District
- Kerosene Lamp Foundation (Backpack Drive)
- Mt. Diablo Unified School District
- Pittsburg Unified School District
- San Ramon Valley Unified School District
For more information and to access the JMH Community Benefit Report, please visit: https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/about-john-muir-health/community-commitment.html