Cedars-Sinai Gives $2 Million to Assist Communities During COVID-19 Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 19 May 2020 09:43 AM America/Los_Angeles Cedars-Sinai Gives $2 Million to Assist Communities During COVID-19 With the Commitment Cedars-Sinai Has Contributed a Total of $4 Million Since March to Support Community Organizations Affected by the Pandemic A second round of $2 million in rapid relief grants from Cedars-Sinai supports food assistance, access to healthcare and workforce stability. Graphic by Cedars-Sinai. As COVID-19 causes staggering unemployment across the Los Angeles region, St. John's Well Child & Family Center is getting a vital reprieve. The South Los Angeles nonprofit will receive a $150,000 grant from Cedars-Sinai to retrain members of its staff who would have been furloughed-and to enlist them in the campaign against the novel coronavirus. The funding for St. John's comes from Cedars-Sinai's latest round of grants aimed at stabilizing nonprofit organizations in vulnerable communities and putting people back to work during the pandemic. Cedars-Sinai is committing $2 million to 22 programs and organizations that assist those who are most vulnerable to the health and economic impacts of the virus. The commitment comes on top of $2 million Cedars-Sinai provided in March to support programs providing food, housing and healthcare. "We are committed to doing everything we can to help underserved populations get the care and services they need during this very challenging time," said Thomas M. Priselac, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai. "We want to help bring stability to these organizations and the people they employ and serve." " We are committed to doing everything we can to help underserved populations get the care and services they need during this very challenging time. We want to help bring stability to these organizations and the people they employ and serve. Thomas M. Priselac, Cedars-Sinai President and CEO„ The new round of grants–supporting food assistance, access to healthcare and workforce stability–will meet a variety of pressing needs:The United Way of Greater Los Angeles will receive $500,000 to help launch its Health Pathways Expansion Program as part of its broader pandemic relief fund efforts to increase access to medical care for people experiencing homelessness, many of whom are now living in new temporary shelters or motels.Planned Parenthood Los Angeles will receive $400,000 to help increase important telehealth services as well as call center support to ensure continuity of care while maintaining physical distancing.Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA) will receive $50,000 to help procure fresh produce from a network of local, family owned farms in southern California that can no longer take their produce to markets due to closures. The food is distributed for free at local sites. Through the financial assistance, the farms are able to keep their staffs employed.Chrysalis will receive $20,000 to continue helping low-income people and those experiencing homelessness find or retain employment by providing virtual support services such as vocational skills and interview trainings. Chrysalis also will be able to expand its distribution of motel vouchers and grocery store gift cards to maintain stability for clients. The funding for St. John's Well Child & Family Center in South Los Angeles will support 800 staff hours per month for six months. Employees who are involved will work as "contact tracers," identifying and monitoring anyone who had contact with individuals testing positive for the virus-a key to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's plans for tracking COVID-19 and reopening the state. The program will focus on St. John's largest testing site, the Williams Clinic, and a mobile unit that serves people experiencing homelessness in South L.A. shelters. "We must use the most effective public health strategies to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the historically underserved communities of South Los Angeles," said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John's. "The best way to do this is through contact tracing. The support from Cedars-Sinai allows us to ramp up our Contact Tracing Program by retraining staff to continue serving our community in this manner." 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Today, with the back-to-school season in full swing, Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ART, … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Cedars-Sinai Gives $2 Million to Assist Communities During COVID-19 Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home