VRMC announces HCA Healthcare Foundations $25,000 Grant to Brownsville Wellness Coalition

Valley Regional Medical Center has announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to the Brownsville Wellness Coalition (BWC) as part of its Health Equity Catalyst Grant Program. The Brownsville Wellness Coalition focuses on addressing food insecurity and providing access to healthy foods to the Brownsville community. The funding is through the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund, a community impact fund focused on addressing high-priority community needs and health equity.

“Community partnerships that address social determinants of health strengthen our community,” said David Irizarry, chief executive officer at Valley Regional Medical Center. “Partnering with the Brownsville Wellness Coalition to specifically address food insecurity issues is an integral part of our mission to the care and improvement of human life. We look forward to supporting this partnership by increasing access to healthier foods and creating volunteer opportunities for our colleagues to serve our community.”

The Brownsville Wellness Coalition will use HCA Healthcare Foundation grant funds to support general operations so that the organization may continue to focus on increasing its program's impact in the community and work on what matters most: building a more equitable food system by addressing food and nutrition insecurity, increasing access to healthier, more affordable food, and educating the community to be self-sufficient by learning to grow their food.

"We are incredibly grateful to Valley Regional Medical Center and the HCA Healthcare Foundation for this generous $25,000 grant,” said Eduardo J. Garcia, executive director of the Brownsville Wellness Coalition. “This funding allows us to expand our efforts to combat food and nutrition insecurity in Brownsville. These funds will increase our capacity to provide access to healthy food, nutrition education, and resources to those who need it most. This support will help us make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our community, ensuring that more individuals and families can thrive in a healthier, more equitable environment."

Launched in August 2023, the Health Equity Catalyst Grant provides a one-time operating grant to support organizations and collaboratives addressing health inequities in a defined focus area to advance or accelerate efforts to:

• Provide culturally and structurally competent services
• Advance high-impact health equity programming
• Support collaborative health equity efforts and/or
• Address root causes of health inequities

This year, the grants were given to nonprofits that address food insecurity and provide access to healthy foods across the country.

The HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund is just one example of how HCA Healthcare is positively impacting the communities it serves. In 2023, HCA Healthcare provided charity care, uninsured discounts and other uncompensated care at an estimated cost of $3.7 billion. Additionally, HCA Healthcare contributed more than $43 million to community organizations in 2023.