1889 Foundation is continuing its mission of supporting innovative programs and initiatives aiming to improve the overall health and wellness of Cambria and Somerset counties in 2024.

To better serve Cambria and Somerset counties, 1889 Foundation has identified the following funding priority areas:

  • Center for Population Health (CPH): A population health resource center developed and funded in partnership with 1889 Foundation. CPH focuses its work on disease prevention and reducing health disparities through its main initiative, the Community Care HUB (HUB) and Community Health Worker (CHW) Program. The HUB works to enhance care coordination and social determinants of health (SDOH) intervention efforts. For more information on the Center and the HUB, visit centerforpophealth.org.
  • Social Determinants of Health: Non-medical factors that influence well-being and health outcomes including food and nutrition, housing, transportation, employment, and social needs.
  • Mental and Behavioral Health: Services and support for all ages, including substance use prevention and treatment.
  • Physical Health and Wellness: Disease prevention and screenings, safe opportunities to engage in exercise, and access to all forms of healthcare, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
  • Childhood Development: The social, academic, and medical needs of children from birth through early adulthood.
  • Medical Education and Training: Scholarships for the next generation of medical professionals, continuing education for medical professionals, and community health education.

In alignment with its priority areas, 1889 Foundation has cohosted a Community Health and Human Services Summit for the past two years.

The 2023 summit focused on the results of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) conducted in 2022, which is a systematic process involving the community to identify and analyze community health needs. It uses comprehensive data collection analysis to determine the key health issues and priorities in a state, tribal, local, or territorial area. The process provides a way for communities to plan and act upon unmet community health needs.

The CHNA identified the following priority areas: Mental/behavioral health, access to social determinant of health needs/healthcare, obesity/healthy living, substance use, socioeconomic/job training, early childhood, violence/abuse/safety. To learn more about the CHNA, visit CHNA (centerforpophealth.org).

At the 2023 Summit, attendees were asked to attend a Poverty Simulation in the morning. The simulation is an interactive and immersive experience that sensitizes community participants to the realities of poverty. While immersed in the simulation, participants were given characters and biographies based on real life experiences. The participants were confronted with a series of challenges that millions of men, women, and children are forced to grapple with daily. The goal of the Poverty Simulation is to build empathy for families living in extreme poverty and prompt strategic thinking about effective responses.

Since 2015, 1889 Foundation has provided over $27 million in funding to health and wellness initiatives and is dedicated to continuing to provide grants and community leadership for transformative work to improve the health of people and communities in Cambria and Somerset counties.

For more information, please visit www.1889foundation.org or email Susan Mann, President, at smann@1889foundation.org.