The Skaggs Foundation has released its list of recipients for the 2022 Legacy Foundation Grants.

The Skaggs Foundation, which began, as a primary funding for Skaggs Regional Medical Center in 2002, began working to help area organizations with grants for services once CoxHealth took over Skaggs Hospital in 2013. The program takes applications and awards the grants based on certain criteria in helping those in need in Stone and Taney Counties. 

According to a release from Skaggs Foundation, among the Grant recipients include the Hollister School District, which is receiving a three-year, $40,000 grant to create an online, searchable database of local resources and Burrell Behavioral Health, which is being awarded a one-year $240,000 grant to provide school-based mental health services to students who otherwise would not have the financial means to receive the services.

A complete listing of the grants awarded by the Skaggs Foundation is below:

Mental Health

Stone and Taney County School-Based Services
$240,000 Burrell Behavioral Health
Burrell Behavioral Health will continue providing School Based Services to students by embedding mental health providers in school settings throughout Stone and Taney counties. From December of 2019 through July 2021, funding for School Based Services allowed Burrell to serve 146 youth resulting in 1,916 mental health services provided to clients who are uninsured, underinsured, or those with unaffordable insurance.

Healthier Mothers, Healthier Babies
$42,353.08 Cox Medical Center Branson 
Healthier Mothers, Healthier Babies will continue addressing substance use and perinatal and postpartum depression among pregnant and newly parenting mothers. In year five of this grant, the CoxHealth Women’s Center Branson will add a focus on improving access to prenatal care by removing barriers and implementing a medication first model for Opioid Use Disorder.

Mental Health and Wellness 
$40,512 Branson School District 
This grant provides a part-time mental health case manager to assist families through the process of receiving school-based mental health services. Families without private insurance often need support as they navigate paperwork to qualify for assistance so their student can receive needed mental health services. The project first began in late 2018. The following school year, they found: 57 percent of students reported a decrease in depressive symptoms after receiving care; 49 percent of students reported decreased anxiety symptoms; and daily attendance increased from 1-4 percent after students received mental health services.  

Access to Care

FaithCare: Community Partnership to Provide Healthcare for Uninsured Employees
$60,000 Faith Community Health
FaithCare membership-based healthcare services provide affordable healthcare for uninsured employees in Stone and Taney counties, fulfilling Faith Community Health’s mission to make affordable healthcare accessible to the underserved in our community. FaithCare enables employers to attract and retain qualified employees with a valuable healthcare benefit. This matching grant provides Faith Community Health with an opportunity to receive up to $60,000 in funding.

Recruiting Nurses to Branson through Scholarships 
$59,752 Cox Medical Center Branson
This grant provides funding for four full, one-year scholarships to senior nursing students enrolled at Cox College. As part of the acceptance of these scholarships, the student agrees to secure employment for at least two years with an approved healthcare organization in Stone or Taney counties, upon graduation. Hiring and retaining qualified nursing staff in the Branson area is challenging, especially as nurses are heavily recruited to more urban settings. Incentivizing highly qualified Cox College nursing students to seek employment in the area is a much-needed avenue to address this critical nursing shortage. 

Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Scholarships 
$55,000 Cox Medical Center Branson 
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Patient Assistance provides financial assistance to patients at Cox Medical Center Branson who have experienced a qualifying cardiac or pulmonary diagnosis or event. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation greatly improves the patient’s chance to recover and live a fuller, healthier life by helping the individual better manage their chronic condition. This grant provides financial aid to patients who otherwise would be unable to afford these vital services. 

Good Samaritan Fund for Patients of Cox Medical Center Branson 
$50,050 Cox Medical Center Branson 
This grant will establish Cox Medical Center Branson’s Good Samaritan Fund. The fund will help relieve the financial burden of hospital bills for qualified patients who are uninsured and underinsured. This grant will help ease the financial burden of the unexpected hospital bills for patients who are already enduring a stressful and difficult time. 

Resources to the Rescue
$40,000 Hollister School District 
Resources to the Rescue aims to address all health needs by empowering and equipping individuals and families throughout Stone and Taney counties with the information they need to access health resources and services. This grant will provide funds over the next three years for Hollister School District to create an online searchable resource guide available to all individuals 24 hours a day.  

Operation AED: Hollister Police Department 
$22,548.60 City of Hollister Police Department 
Operation AED will place 14 automated external defibrillator (AED) units throughout the Hollister community. By placing these units throughout the community, Hollister Police Department will be able to provide lifesaving assistance to individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Currently, the city has four AEDs spread throughout city hall, the parks department, police department and in one patrol car. This grant allows the city to place an AED in every city building as well as in all patrol vehicles, ensuring a life-saving device will much more likely be available when needed.  

Patient Transportation Assistance
$15,620 Cox Medical Center Branson 
Transportation is a major barrier to healthcare access in our community and often leads to missed appointments, missed treatments, delayed care, missed or delayed medication use and increased risk of hospital admission. Through this grant, Cox Branson will increase access to follow-up care and treatment for patients in Stone and Taney counties by providing financial assistance for transportation to and from appointments. This project ensures patients can access necessary healthcare to address physical and behavioral health needs, thereby decreasing the likelihood of readmissions, medical complications and/or death, while increasing the health and well-being of individuals and the community.

Virtual Patient Education 
$4,982.50 Cox Medical Center Branson 
This grant funds the purchase of iPads that will be used by various departments and units throughout Cox Branson. The iPads will be connected to the HealthClips network. HealthClips contains video education specific to a patient’s diagnosis, condition, or procedure. Education topics include fall prevention, at home wound care, maternal/newborn care, managing care, disease specific education, and more. The iPads will be used at admission and throughout the patient’s stay to encourage management and understanding of care, and at discharge to ensure each patient understands post-discharge instructions and how they can prevent worsening the condition and hospital readmission.

Lodging Assistance for Cox Branson Patients with Cancer
$4,950 Cox Medical Center Branson 
Patients in outlying communities often drive an hour or more to cancer treatments. Treatments can be as often as five days a week for up to eight weeks. For cancer patients who are ill from the side effects of the disease and treatment, and financially burdened with medical bills and lost work time, the back and forth travel is not just burdensome, it can be nearly impossible to manage. This grant provides funds to help those patients with lodging expenses so they can stay close to treatments and care. This project will help decrease missed appointments, reduce the stress caused by long daily commutes and remove the financial burden associated with travel and lodging. 

Substance Use

Substance Use Initiative & Tobacco Cessation Program  
$97,567.54 Cox Medical Center Branson 
The Substance Use Initiative is a community-driven model to address youth and adult substance use and misuse and advance evidence-based prevention, intervention, and treatment in Stone and Taney counties. The initiative includes numerous prevention activities targeting youth and individuals who do not currently have a substance use disorder, while intervention and treatment activities target individuals who use substances or have a substance use disorder diagnosis. The initiative focuses on universal and environmental strategies such as changing access and barriers to changing consequences, and policy change, in order to maximize impact and improve population level outcomes.

Stone and Taney County Dental & Housing Assistance Program 
$30,000 Stone County Judiciary
This grant allows Stone and Taney County Treatment Courts to assist participants with needed dental care, safe and sober housing and transportation to and from court activities. This project puts participants in a better position to focus on their sobriety and wellness while removing stumbling blocks to wellness. Through this grant, the treatment courts will help participants become more productive community members better equipped to take care of their families and reduce chances of recidivism. 

Healthy Recovery Initiative
$3,500 Simmering Center, Inc.
When new residents arrive to the Simmering Center, they are often malnourished and unhealthy as a result of their past. As they enter into sobriety, this grant will help the Simmering Center meet residents’ needs, ranging from prescriptions and over-the-counter medications to medical treatments. This grant helps the Simmering Center provide a more holistic approach to recovery by not only focusing on addiction recovery, but health and wellness. 

Ozarks Boys Academy
$1,800 Ozarks Teen Challenge
Ozarks Teen Challenge Boys Academy is a 15-month Christian drug and behavioral rehabilitation center that recognizes the unique needs of each teen. This grant will provide Ozarks Teen Challenge with funding to purchase additional curriculum for 10 students, helping these students overcome an addictive past, plan for the future, build coping skills, learn how their actions impact others and build a healthy community. 

Emerging Needs

Staff Assist Safety System
$132,091.35 Cox Medical Center Branson
This grant will fund the purchase and implementation of a safety button system in Cox Medical Center Branson’s emergency department and 124 inpatient hospital rooms. The wearable panic buttons will provide a layer of protection for employees facing workplace violence. Workplace violence has been on the rise in hospital systems nationwide, with the greatest percentage being nurses. Workplace violence increased significantly from 2019 to 2020, with the pandemic greatly compounding the issue. Total events increased from 94 to 162; total assaults from 40 to 123; total injuries from 17 to 78; and assaults leading to injuries increased from 42.5 percent to 63 percent. 

Dental Care

School Based Dental for Stone County
$50,000 Fordland Clinic, Inc.
Through this grant, Fordland Clinic will continue to provide school-based dental services to students in the Blue Eye and Reeds Spring school districts. Dental services, which are expected to reach as many as 1,200 students, will target those who are not seeing a dentist or are uninsured. The program will include dental exams, sealants/fluoride treatment, cleanings, education and recommendations for restorative services. Services will be offered to all students in the two Stone County school districts.

Dental Care for Stone and Taney County Residents
$20,000 Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC)
Delaying dental care can cause serious oral health problems. Individuals often delay care due to high costs, lack of dental insurance, access to services as well as fear and anxiety. It’s estimated that more than one in four adults have untreated tooth decay and nearly half of all adults over the age of 30 show signs of gum disease. This grant will help OACAC meet the oral health needs of uninsured and underinsured residents of Stone and Taney counties, targeting those who fall at or below 125 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. 

Gloves for Dental Health Professionals
$4,560 Children’s Smile Center
Children's Smile Center works to improve oral health and wellness of children through access to quality dental clinics. Due to the global pandemic, Children’s Smile Center’s supply cost have increased. Gloves, necessary for providing dental care, have become more difficult to find while the cost has increased drastically. Before the pandemic, a box of gloves cost about $16 per box. Children’s Smile Center now pays between $36 to $76 per box. This grant will provide Children’s Smile Center with gloves for at least one year.  

Healthy Lifestyles

Sunny Side – Part 3
$5,000 Branson Hollister Senior Center 
Sunny Side - Part 3 continues the ongoing wellness initiative to improve health and prolong independence for Taney County senior adults. Branson Hollister Senior Center offers daily exercise sessions for seniors looking to stay active and social. Seniors love attending the sessions, saying they feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Rockaway Beach Sports Scholarships
$5,000 White River Community Development 
The average family with children in youth sports spends about $700 a year on fees, equipment and other expenses making it hard for children of low-income families to participate. The Rockaway Beach Sports Scholarships will be available to students with scholarships up to $300. The scholarships will cover team registrations, special equipment, participation fees and other necessary expenses associated with playing a team sport. The scholarships will target students who qualify for free school lunches, however, White River Community Development will consider other students on individual basis. 

Youth Sports Scholarship Program 
$4,900 Branson Parks and Recreation Department 
The Branson Parks and Recreation Department Youth Sports Scholarship Fund is a vital part of the success of the youth sports program. These funds provide opportunities for children in our community to participate in youth sports and activities at little cost to their family. To be eligible for the scholarship, participants must qualify for free or reduced school lunches and each participant is asked to pay a minimum of $5 for the program and a $5 shirt fee. This nominal fee helps create buy-in and commitment from the participants and their families. These scholarships allow children to explore their talents and abilities while being active and healthy. 

BridgeFit Fitness Center Scholarships for Students
$4,980 White River Community Development
While all income levels of youth struggle with exercise due to increased use of technology, middle and high school aged students in the Rockaway Beach area have fewer opportunities for fitness. BridgeFit Fitness Center is targeted to residents of Rockaway Beach, Merriam Woods and Venice on the Lake and offers a full range of equipment. The fitness center will offer stationary bikes, treadmills and free weights as well as specialized classes. This grant allows White River Community Development to offer fitness center scholarships to youth. It’s estimated that between 33 to 50 youth will be impacted by this grant. 

New Ways to Be Active
$4,460 Reeds Spring School District
The Reeds Spring area is full of recreational activities on the water and tourist attractions nearby, but lacks parks, playgrounds and other recreational resources for the community. Through New Ways to Be Active, Reeds Spring Middle School will improve student curriculum by helping students develop and maintain healthy lifestyles while providing a recreational opportunity for the community. This grant will provide funding to create a 9-hole disc golf course on the middle school and high school campus. This course will not only give students an opportunity to learn and practice lifetime habits, but give the community a new and fun healthy activity to enjoy. 

Healthy Lifestyle Exercise Room
$3,000 Kimberling Area Senior Center
As individuals age, maintaining strength and mobility become top concerns. An active lifestyle that includes regular exercise and strength training, can help seniors maintain their strength and mobility. The Healthy Lifestyle Exercise Room grant will allow Kimberling Area Senior Center to create a designated exercise space for seniors, giving these individuals an area designed for them in mind. Grant funds will be used to purchase stair steppers, pedal exercisers, arm and leg exercise bikes, medicine balls and more. 
Child and Family Safety

BGC Ozarks Summer Enrichment Program
$5,000 Boys and Girls Club of the Ozarks 
This grant will allow families who otherwise could not afford to send their children to the Boys and Girls Club, access to high-quality summer programs. When schools close for the summer children living in poverty are unable to access healthy meals, academic assistance and fun activities. The demand for the Boys and Girls Club’s services during the summer months have significantly increased among those families in poverty. Club membership allows youth access to two meals and a nutritious snack every day while providing working parents affordable, safe and reliable childcare.

Branson High School Cents of Pride Store
$5,000 Branson School District
The Branson High School Cents of Pride store provides students a unique opportunity to obtain essential items that are not provided through their home environment due to varied circumstances. The store supports students in their efforts to take care of themselves when, often times, there is no other alternative for assistance. With the devastating effect COVID has placed on families and their circumstances, the store is even more important to students than it has been in the past. All 1,400 Branson High School students have an opportunity to shop in the store using Buccaneer Bucks awarded for maintaining good attendance, good conduct and good grades.

Cents of Pride Store 
$5,000 Gift of Hope, Inc.
This grant will provide Gift of Hope with necessary funds to continue to operate the Cents of Pride program for Forsyth Middle School and High School students. This unique program is dedicated to fulfilling students’ needs, grades fifth through 12th through a reward system. Gift of Hope’s main goal is to reach older students who were going hungry on the weekends because they were too proud or embarrassed to accept food distributed through the Gift of Hope Backpack Club. This program also expands from the Backpack Club by providing essential health, hygiene, activity kits, sports balls, bedding items, school supplies, snacks and more.

Helping, Healing, Hope: Using Education to Support Families
$1,500 Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative 
Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative serves more than 100 children and continues to grow. Many of the families served live in poverty unable to always meet the basic needs of their children. This grant will help Tri-Lakes Special Education Cooperative meet the needs often associated with high poverty rates. By having the means to provide the children and families with personal care items, such as head lice treatments, clothing, underwear, Pull-ups, laundry supplies, wipes and more, Tri-Lakes is better positioned to support their families’ overall wellness needs and create a more susceptible learning environment.