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Press Release

Grant Helps Improve Health and Financial Security for Clients


March 4, 2009



Archived. This is an older press release from 2009 and may not contain the latest information. Please view our current press releases for 2023 items.



Contra Costa Health Services' Family, Maternal and Child Health (FMCH) Programs has received a $10,000 grant from the East Bay Community Foundation to support their new and innovative Building Economic Security Today (BEST) project. BEST is part of FMCH Programs' Life Course Initiative, whose mission is to reduce disparities in birth outcomes and change the health of the next generation in Contra Costa. BEST works towards this mission by helping families improve their financial security and stability.

"A family's wealth can affect their health. How much money a family has determines what kinds of foods they can purchase, their level of stress and the neighborhoods they can live in," said Padmini Parthasarathy, Life Course Initiative Coordinator with FMCH Programs. "This grant will help us support families in building assets so that they can have a healthier future."

Parthasarathy said the grant allows FMCH Programs' staff working in Richmond and East Contra Costa County to receive training focused on how to 1) identify families' underlying financial issues and 2) help clients identify and take their "first steps to success" on financial issues, such as applying for public benefits for which they are eligible, repairing credit, opening a bank account, obtaining their Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or utilizing a low-cost prepaid debit card. The grant will also partly fund the program evaluation of BEST.

"BEST will help families connect with resources to open checking and savings accounts, repair credit, obtain their Earned Income Tax Credits, and most importantly it will help improve their health outcomes," Parthasarathy said.

The East Bay Community Foundation has connected donors with nonprofit organizations that work to make their communities exceptional places to live for more than 75 years. More information about East Bay Community Foundations is available at www.ebcf.org or by calling 510-836-3223. For more information on BEST call Padmini Parthasarathy at 925-313-6178.


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Press Contact
  • Padmini Parthasarathy
  • 925-313-6178