Gulf Coast Community Foundation Grants $25K for the Installation
Monday, December 4, 2017
SARASOTA, FL—The Gulf Coast Community Foundation is among the first donors investing in the construction of a much-needed pediatric dental practice in the Sally & Sam Shapiro Babies & Children’s Medical Center through a $25,000 grant to The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center.
The Shapiro Medical Center, run by the Health Department and Community Health Centers of Sarasota County, opened in 2014 to provide pediatric medical care for low-income and Medicaid-enrolled children. Since opening its doors, they have seen a growing need to provide dental care to their clients. “Including a dental clinic was in the original design concept of the building but due to cost restraints, it was not realized during the construction. This generous support from Gulf Coast Community Foundation allows us to make that dream become a reality.,” says Dr. Kameron Hodgens, Executive Director & CEO of Glasser/Schoenbaum.
When the Shapiro Medical Center opened its doors, the Department of Health and Human Services ranked Florida 50 out of 51 states and the DC area in getting Medicaid-enrolled children connected to preventative dental care. “Dental care often seems to fall out of the perceived spectrum of healthcare needs, but these children who are going without it face serious risks for lifelong issues,” said Jon Thaxton, senior vice president for community investment at Gulf Coast. “By adding pediatric dental services at the Shapiro Medical Center, we can help close the huge gap in serving chronic dental needs of community members who are on Medicaid or uninsured.”
The grant from Gulf Coast gets Glasser/Schoenbaum a quarter of the way to their fundraising goal for this construction project. Funders also include the Community Foundation of Sarasota County and other private donors. Glasser/Schoenbaum joins its efforts for the dental installation with commitments from the Health Department to provide the necessary equipment and staff.
The staff at Glasser/Schoenbaum have done a great job of connecting the many organizations on campus and creating a space that sparks collaboration. This sense of community extends to staff and clients alike, helping to break down barriers and leading to innovative ways to serve the community as a whole.
Real estate is one of the greatest costs in a business budget. Our partnership with The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center allows more money to go towards our mission. And what better place to house our office than on a campus with nineteen other outreach agencies.
As a small organization with a staff of two, employee safety was a big consideration when we were looking for office space. We did not want our employees to be in a place where they were alone. Being on the GSHSC campus has been great because there is a whole community of like-minded professionals.
