Desert Healthcare District Board awards $3.5 million to improve access to primary and behavioral care in the Coachella Valley
The Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board approved at its monthly meeting on March 24 one of its largest allocations for grant awards in recent years.
Five grants were awarded, allocating $3,550,528 in total to support improving access to primary and behavioral healthcare. The grantees have committed to use the funds in a variety of ways, including programs and services that address the Coachella Valley's healthcare workforce shortage, shoring up mental and behavioral healthcare, supporting the wellness needs of underserved and migrant families, and more.
The grant awards are:
Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, doing business as Innercare: $2,975,625 to develop over three years a Coachella Valley teaching health center program to address the community's physician shortage.
Galilee Center: $185,337 to continue the Bridge to Health program, connecting underserved and migrant families to medical and behavioral health services through case management and strong partnerships with healthcare providers, schools, transportation services, and other community organizations.
Hanson House: $103,155 to support the full salary of a new case manager and the partial salary of its executive director. The addition of a case manager in daily operations would provide one-on-one family-centered support from intake to post-hospital transition. This includes conducting needs assessments, coordinating care for patients, and connecting families to community resources.
Jewish Family Service of the Desert: $143,750 to support the partial salaries of five positions -- a clinical director, a licensed marriage and family therapist clinician, two marriage and family therapist counselors, and an associate clinical social worker counselor. This grant will contribute to expanding mental healthcare access, strengthening the regional workforce, and ensuring residents receive timely, affirming and bilingual services.
LGBTQ+ Community Center of the Desert: $142,661 to support two Spanish-speaking therapists to expand access in underserved areas and train eight clinicians under three supervisors in LGBTQ+-affirming, evidence-based care. Grant funds will support the partial salaries of director of behavioral health services, chief clinical officer, clinical senior manager, and two therapists.
As shown above, the largest grant award of the night went to Innercare, a Federally Qualified Health Center with multiple health and dental clinics serving both Riverside and Imperial counties. Innercare will use the funds over three years starting on July 1 to create and implement a teaching health center to locally train physician residents. By the third year of the grant period, Innercare plans to have 16 residents working across its health sites and DAP Health.
"Today’s approval of $3.5 million in grants is a strong reflection of our commitment to the community and to the priorities we’ve set as a District," Desert Healthcare District & Foundation Board President Kimberly Barraza said Tuesday. "These investments will expand access to care, strengthen our healthcare workforce, and bring critical resources directly to the residents who need them most. The impact of these dollars will be felt in real, tangible ways — more services, better access, and healthier outcomes across the Coachella Valley. This is exactly the kind of meaningful, community-driven progress we should be proud to advance together."
In other business, the District & Foundation Board also approved a consulting services agreement with NPO Centric. The two-year agreement, not to exceed $420,000, continues a prior partnership between the two organizations to provide capacity-building services to Coachella Valley nonprofit organizations and to raise awareness about the work and its outcomes.
About the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation
The Desert Healthcare District is a local government agency formed in 1948. Its mission is to improve health access and outcomes for all District residents through strategic funding and partnerships. The District includes more than 400,000 residents and encompasses the entire Coachella Valley. The District and Desert Healthcare Foundation, together, are one of the largest funders in the valley. These funds are used to assist residents — especially the underserved — in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral healthcare. Learn more.