Alaska Literacy Program to receive grant as part of Providence Community Capacity Initiative

Funds will support Community Health Worker apprenticeship program

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund (SJCPF) and Providence Alaska are awarding a grant to the Alaska Literacy Program as part of the Fund’s new Providence Community Capacity Initiative.

The Alaska Literacy Program will receive $160,000 to support the development of a diverse and culturally competent Community Health Worker (CHW) apprenticeship program and to support the organization’s English Language Learner students on their path to a CHW career.

"Providence Alaska is honored to partner with the Alaska Literacy Program in the development of the community health worker program,” said Preston M. Simmons, DSc., FACHE, chief executive of Providence Alaska. “Their commitment to serving the most vulnerable in our community is an essential part of building vibrant and healthy communities for everyone.”

The $2.75 million Providence Community Capacity Initiative is funding 10 organizations across the seven regions served by Providence. Grants support organizational growth and development, research and evaluation, technical assistance and coaching. The awards are being presented to organizations that demonstrate an ongoing commitment to creating a lasting impact on the health of their communities.

In 2021, after 35 years of service in California, SJCPF expanded its reach to support ongoing efforts across the entire Providence geographic footprint. With its expansion, SJCPF works closely with regional community health investment teams and regional leaders to support organizations and programs on the ground to help build a sustainable future in the areas of capacity building, housing, education and disaster response and resilience.

“As Providence’s strategic grantmaking partner, SJCPF supports local organizations to address both immediate, pressing issues at the community level and longer-term strategy,” said Gabriela Robles, chief executive of the SJCPF. “The Fund is an extension of Providence’s community investment, helping to ensure nonprofits can continue to serve their constituents and have a sustainable presence in the community.”

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Providence Alaska is part of Providence, a not-for-profit network of hospitals, care centers, health plans, physicians, clinics, home health services, affiliated services and educational facilities. For more information about Providence, visit www.providence.org/alaska.

Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 52 hospitals, over 1,000 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing, and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 120,000 caregivers serving communities across seven states – Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Washington, and Irvine, California. Learn about our vision of health for a better world at Providence.org.