Central City Integrated Health President and CEO Kimberly Farrow attends to a patient prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergency funding from The Children’s Foundation helped the organization purchase PPE so health care officials could continue their work with patients.
By Marti Benedetti for Crain’s Content Studio
When Central City Integrated Health received its emergency funding from The Children’s Foundation, it used it for key supplies that were – and continue to be — in high demand: testing and screening kits, as well as personal protection equipment.
The Children’s Foundation, the state’s largest funder dedicated solely to children’s health and wellness has dispersed more than 20 emergency grants since March through its COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. The funding is designed to support children and families by providing for essential needs such as food, diaper and formula purchases and by supporting technology that will help transition health and wellness services online.
Up to 7,000 children and adults have been tested because of the CCIH initiative.
“We are focusing on treating our pediatric population,” said Kimberly Farrow, interim president and CEO of CCIH. “When the crisis began, it was all about those over 65, but, more recently, we have seen cases in children.”
The organization services more than 4,400 children and adults each year. CCIH’s services include primary and pediatric care, dental care, behavioral health services, substance abuse disorder treatment, supportive housing, community re-entry services and peer support. It has pivoted some of its in-person treatment services to telehealth in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
