Geisinger Community Health Fund announces donations to regional charities

On Monday, Geisinger announced the recipients of its inaugural round of $1 million community grants.

Of that, $15,000 is going to programs that serve Centre County.

“Stable housing, fresh fruits and vegetables and public transportation options are not often considered medical needs, yet they form the foundation for a healthy lifestyle,” according to a press release.

Centre County United Way received $10,000 to address the opioid epidemic by distributing secure medication disposal boxes and educating for proper use, the release said.

According to the release, Clearfield Area United Way received $5,000 to expand its “Lunch and Learn” program to two new locations.

“As we further partner with surrounding communities, we’re finding ZIP codes are as important as genomic codes when it comes to predicting the health of our patients,” David T. Feinberg, Geisinger president and CEO, said in the release. “The social determinants of health, which include a patient’s income, education, employment status and ethnicity, are often considered nonmedical needs, but they are all vital to positive health outcomes. We have awarded grants to those organizations we intend to work alongside as we transform health care at its core by focusing on preventive care.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Geisinger Community Health Fund announces donations to regional charities."