State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, fellow southeast Pa. legislators, laud $700K in grants strengthening local public health
Grants will benefit drug and alcohol treatment programs, food insecurity, and maternal and newborn kits
Southeast Delegation November 12, 2024 | 2:40 PM
MEDIA, Nov. 12 — Southeast Delegation Chairwoman Jennifer O’Mara recently announced grants for Mirmont Treatment Centers and Nemours Children’s Health.
Mirmont received a grant of $250,000 that will support their facilities enhancement project. Nemours received two grants in amounts of $260,000 and $192,5000 for their Care Closets and Maternal and Newborn Kits programs.
“Both Mirmont Treatment Centers and Nemours Children’s Health conduct critical work for the people of Southeastern Pennsylvania, helping those battling alcohol and drug dependency, supporting mental and behavioral health, and caring for our children,” O’Mara said. “It is important that we ensure that they have the funding necessary to carry out these essential services.”
Mirmont Treatments Centers, located in Media, has helped thousands of people begin their recovery journeys in the past 25 years. They specialize in care for addiction as well as mental and behavioral health, with a commitment to compassionate and quality treatment for all patients.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Commonwealth for this substantial investment in Mirmont Treatment Center,” said Jack Lynch, FACHE, President and CEO of Main Line Health. “These grants will allow us to implement enhancements that will have a lasting positive impact and ensure we can continue to deliver safe, high quality, equitable and affordable care to our patients and the communities we serve."
Nemours Children’s Health is dedicated to children’s healthcare throughout Pennsylvania and other states. Their medical professionals specialize in various services, ranging from cardiology to oncology, recognizing that the health of all children is paramount.
The grant for the Care Closets will go toward addressing local food insecurity, ensuring parents can provide healthy food to their children at home.
“Nemours Children’s Health is deeply invested in addressing pediatric health concerns that go well beyond medicine. This grant for the Nemours Care Closets program allows us to do just that by helping our patient families deal with food insecurity and other challenges that affect child well-being,” said Dr. Kara Odom Walker, Nemours Children's Health Executive Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer. “Families will be able to leave their doctor’s visit with key household and nutritional provisions to help fill critical needs at home.”
The second grant benefits Nemours’ Maternal and Newborn Kits program, which provides comprehensive packages containing physician approved, educational materials and tools to new parents, helping to reduce stressors.
“The grant funding for this program will provide parents with essential information and equipment they need to confidently manage their newborns' health effectively,” said Walker. “By reducing the barriers to accessing basic healthcare supplies and increasing health literacy, Nemours aims to ensure that all newborns have a healthier start in life, regardless of their families' socioeconomic status. These efforts help us advance our vision of creating the healthiest generations of children.”
These grant applications were widely supported by the Southeast Delegation, which includes Delaware, Montgomery, Chester and Bucks counties. The full list of members can be found here: https://pahouse.com/SouthEastDelegation/Members/.