The creation of a new nonprofit foundation to support the work of Hawaii Island Community Health Center was announced Monday. The foundation will serve as the philanthropic branch of HICHC and will be in charge of fundraising and managing donations.

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The creation of a new nonprofit foundation to support the work of Hawaii Island Community Health Center was announced Monday. The foundation will serve as the philanthropic branch of HICHC and will be in charge of fundraising and managing donations.

The Hawaii Island Community Health Foundation will be led by Lauren Whittemore, who previously served as director of street medicine outreach for HICHC.

“The main goal is to support Hawaii Island Community Health Center, so everything we do for the foundation is virtually in complete alignment with HICHC, the health center’s strategic plan and visioning,” Whittemore said. “We just really wanted to make sure that although it’s a separate nonprofit, we’re still reflective of the work of HICHC (and) everything that they’ve been raising money for in the past.”

HICHC has clinic locations across the island and serves nearly 40,000 residents with an operating budget of approximately $50 million.

The idea to create a foundation for HICHC is something Whittemore said had been discussed over the past five years. She said it will help ensure that the organization continues to have the funding to carry out its work and mission.

“I think the healthcare landscape has really changed over the last couple of years. … There’s changes to Medicaid coming up, and we just really want to make sure that donors are connected to what they’re inspired to give about,” she said. “ When we have a dedicated channel for philanthropy, like the foundation, we can be a little more intentional about making sure that fundraising, donor stewardship, philanthropy, all of that has a goal in mind.”

Among the initiatives the foundation will aim to fund-raise for are a transportation fund to help patients get to and from appointments, a keiki fund to assist healthcare staff with childcare costs, and efforts to integrate art into clinic spaces, according to a press release from HICHC.

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“We know that health is shaped by more than what happens in an exam room.” said HICHC CEO Richard Taaffe. “Transportation, childcare, welcoming spaces and community support all influence whether people can access and receive the care they need. The Hawaii Island Community Health Foundation gives us new tools toward meeting those needs and supporting our local community.”

Taffe will be retiring as CEO later this year, but will serve on the board of the foundation along with incoming CEO Victoria Hanes. The other board members are Brett Carey, Mitch Roth, Vernon Bieraugel, Wally Lau, Audrey Takamine and Elisa Yadao.

Whittemore said that an initial focus of the foundation will be to strengthen relationships with existing donors.

“Right now, our goal is to really take stock of previous fundraising efforts, make sure that donors feel like they’ve been properly acknowledged, and moving forward, building a stronger base,” Whittemore said. “But right now, we’re really in the phase of just acknowledging past donors and making sure we kind of firm up those relationships.”

She said the foundation will host a gala this fall with the goal of raising $200,000 for HICHC.

While the foundation and HICHC are technically separate organizations, she hopes people recognize them as complimentary entities working together to support healthcare on Hawaii Island.

“Even though the foundation is new and its own nonprofit, it’s really there to support the ongoing work of Hawaii Island Community Health Center,” she said. “We want it to feel as seamless as possible. We want to be vocal and communicative about the changes, because people will be donating to a new nonprofit … but it really is a warm handoff and ongoing effort that has already been there, that has already been established. … The mission and vision of the foundation is literally just to carry out that work for them.”

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Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].