St. Vincent Healthcare Grants for 2009

October 15, 2009, Worcester, Mass.-- TONITE at 7:00 p.m. the Diocese of Worcester will hold the Twelfth Annual White Mass at the Chapel of Our Lady of Providence, St. Vincent Hospital, 123 Summer Street, Worcester. The public is invited to participate in prayer for those who work in healthcare and its related fields, including parish nursing. Following the Mass, the St. Vincent Healthcare Grants totaling $54,950 will be awarded at a reception in the Atrium at St. Vincent Hospital.

Most Rev. Robert McManus, S.T.D., Bishop of Worcester, will be principal celebrant and homilist at the Mass and make the awards presentations. At the conclusion of the Mass, the Annual Awards in honor of St. Luke will be presented on behalf of the Diocese of Worcester, the Saint Luke Society and The Guild of Our Lady of Providence. Recipients include Julia Basque, RN who is a parish nurse, Robert Bessette, MD of the Fallon Clinic Infectioius Disease Division, Rev. Terrence Curry, SJ, chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital, Eileen Fournier, RN a volunteer caring for retired priests, Gail Allen, Esq, a director at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, and Kenneth Waugh, RN, a nurse at St. Vincent Hospital receiving an Ecumenical Award.

Following Mass, the annual St. Vincent Healthcare Grants will be distributed in the Atrium at St. Vincent Hospital.

The St. Vincent Healthcare Fund was announced in June 1998 and was started with $1.6 million which had been raised by the St. Vincent Development Foundation prior to the sale of the St. Vincent Hospital to OrNda Healthcorp in 1996. At that time the Foundation ceased its operation. During the oversight process by the Attorney General’s Office, it was determined that the funds that had been raised by the Foundation would be given to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester to support health care programs and services in the community. Some of these funds were restricted to certain areas of use and, as such, grants are awarded in accordance with the original wishes of the donors and in accordance with the original mission of the Foundation, namely to provide financial and other assistance to nonprofit health care organizations to promote the scientific, literary, educational, public health, public safety or civic purposes of such entities for the direct benefit of the residents of Worcester County; to work for the development of medical and health services by supporting and strengthening the services provided by nonprofit health care providers which provide services to Worcester County residents; to support nonprofit organizations which provide for the medical and other health care needs of residents of Worcester County; and to provide for the needs of Worcester County residents through the purchase of medical and other health care services or supplies.

Thirty-nine grants totaling $54.950 will be awarded to the following: Pernet Family Health Service - Linking Mothers & Babies to Long-Term Supports - $3,000; St. Mary Health Care - Music Therapy - $1,000; Problem Pregnancy of Worcester, Inc. - Ultrasound Program - $2,000; Guild of Our Lady of Providence - Medical Services for the Uninsured - $5,000; CHANGE - Continuity of Care for Chronic Illnesses - $2,000; Dismas House - Restorative Healthcare Initiative - $2,000; CareNet Pregnancy Resource Center - Operation Ultrasound - $1,000; Alzheimer's Association, Mass Chapter - Connecting Caregivers: Alzheimer's Education & Outreach - $1,000; Veterans, Inc. - Preliminary Healthcare for Veterans - $2,000; Our Lady of the Angels School - Health Office - $2,000; Mary, Queen of the Rosary - Outreach - $1,250.

St. Mary Parish - Bereavement Support Program - $1,000; Harrington Memorial Hospital - Reserved Emergency Assistance Loan Program (R.E.A.L.)- $1,000; Mary, Queen of the Rosary Food Pantry - Family Wellness - $1,000; Montachusett Opportunity Council, Inc. - CARE AIDS Services Project - $1,000; Catholic Charities - Sweet Dreams - $1,000; Auburn Council on Aging - Rides for Health - $1,200; Heywood Hospital - Cultural Diversity, Outreach & Diversity - $1,000; The Worcester Guild of Catholic Medical Association - Seed Money for Start-up Costs - $500; St. Vincent Hospital Center for Women & Infants - Breast Pump Program - $1,500; St. Mary Elementary, Jr. & Sr. High - School Nurse Program - $2,000; Ministry to Retired Priests - $2,000.

Worcester Division of Elder Affairs - Podiatry Clinic - $1,500; Overlook Hospice Services - Spiritual Doula Program - $1,000; Notre Dame - Music Therapy - $1,000; VNA Care Network & Hospice - Elder Health Clinics - $1,500; St. Mary School - CPR Training & Health Clinic Supplies - $500; St. Vincent Hospital Center for Women & Infants - Infant Car Seat Program - $1,000; Catholic Charities Family Life Center - Outreach to Homebound Seniors & Disabled - $1,000; Catholic Charities Blackstone Valley - Special Health Diet Assistance - $1,000; Nazareth Home for Boys - Kids Fitness Plus Program - $1,000.

St. Stephen Elementary - Health Initiative: Nutrition & Health Living - $1,000; Office of Healing & Prevention - Safe Environment Program - $1,000; Ride With Pride, Inc. - Therapeutic Riding for Special Needs Children - $1,000; Children's Friend, Inc. - Carriage House Grief Support Center - $1,500; Multi-Service Center - The ROSE Project for Elders - $1,000; Alternatives Unlimited, Inc. - Adaptive Equipment Solutions - $1,500; YWCA of Central Massachusetts - ENCORE Program - $1,000; St. Paul Cathedral - Elder Outreach Program - $2,000.