Saint Joseph London Foundation Awarded More Than $600,000 for Safe Child Initiative

LONDON, Ky. (August 4, 2022) – The Saint Joseph London Foundation, on behalf of Saint Joseph London, has received a $607,726 grant from the CommonSpirit Health Mission and Ministry Fund to help equip local parents and guardians with healthy parenting skills, ultimately reducing the risk factors for child abuse and neglect.

The grant will support Saint Joseph London’s “Safe Child Initiative,” ensuring the implementation and expansion of the hospital’s Nurturing Children Program to surrounding counties. This program develops and supports a culture change where abuse and neglect are no longer experienced by the most vulnerable population – children under age 5. The program educates parents and community members through awareness, curriculum and skills that establish intolerance of abuse and neglect as the norm through modified behaviors of actions. Since its inception in 2016, the Nurturing Children Program has helped to achieve a 90% reduction in the recidivism rate of abuse and neglect.

“This program takes you back to the basics of parenting and helps local parents and caregivers understand the importance of healthy parenting and passing this down to their children,” said Leslie Smart, CFRE, president, Saint Joseph London Foundation. “Thanks to this generous grant, we will be able to help even more local children and continue expanding our program throughout the area.”

Child abuse can lead to long-term consequences like brain damage, diabetes, lung disease, and psychological and behavioral issues. Through the “Safe Child Initiative,” the Saint Joseph London Foundation aims to reduce the number of children in substantiated and services-needed reports by 10% by the year 2025.

For more information on Saint Joseph London’s Nurturing Children Program, contact Mollie Harris, CSW, Violence Prevention coordinator, at [email protected].

About CHI Saint Joseph Health

CHI Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in CHI Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. CHI Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services toward a goal of building a healthier future for all. CHI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About Saint Joseph London

Saint Joseph London is a 150-bed full-service hospital located in London, Kentucky. Established in 1926, the facility serves patients from southeastern Kentucky, including those from Clay, Laurel, Jackson, Whitley, Knox and Pulaski counties. The current $152 million regional hospital opened in 2010, and offers all private patient rooms, with most overlooking a small lake and garden on the 52-acre healing environment. 

About Saint Joseph London Foundation

Saint Joseph London Foundation supports CHI Saint Joseph Health’s drive for excellence by inspiring donors to make a tangible difference through their philanthropic investment in outstanding patient care facilities and services, the education of caregivers, advanced clinical research and improved access to quality medical care.

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