Grants Management, Health Equity, Outcomes Programs and Research

Grant Procurement & Management

At Community Impact, securing and effectively managing grants is central to our work. Representing 60% of our budget, these contributions from diverse funders and are crucial in supporting our initiatives and creating meaningful change. We also leverage research partnerships with local universities, including the University of Notre Dame, to advance collaborative, health-focused  research.

Our expertise lies in both acquiring and administering grants. We craft compelling proposals that resonate with local, state, federal, and private funders, demonstrating our commitment to responsible stewardship. We meticulously manage awarded grants, ensuring every dollar translates into tangible impact for our community. Continuously seeking best practices, we refine our internal processes to strengthen grant management protocols and procedures. By being efficient and accountable, we can maximize the positive impact we have on our community.

Community Benefit

Beacon
Health System completes a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every
three years to maintain a non-for-profit status required by Joint
Commission. A CHNA uses community surveys, focus groups and key
informant interviews to determine the top health needs in
the community. The results of the CHNA supports an Implementation
Strategy for how Beacon Health System and Community Partners will address
the identified health needs. The team writes an annual report of BCI and
our funded Community Partners efforts and outcomes. The CHNA process
also has a Health Advisory Council which provides guidance and insight to
BCI about health priorities.

Community Partners

As part of Beacon’s Community Benefit, Beacon Health System funds local community organizations to do work that aligns with the Implementation Strategy. The steps in this competitive process include:

Data Infrastructure

The Health Equity and Outcomes team
provides departmental expertise on data collection and analysis for a variety
of data sources and programs: the CHNA, Community Benefit Report, Community
Partner survey data, and publicly available data. The team supports internal
partners to determine metrics that demonstrate a collective impact of their
work, aligned with the Implementation Strategy from the CHNA. The team also
supports the internal programs in creating metrics to measure programmatic
growth. The research and data analysis completed by the Health Equity and
Outcomes team supports Beacon’s community priorities, Joint Commission and CMS
requirements, Community Impact programming and potential grants.

Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR)

The purpose of the FIMR Program is to conduct comprehensive multidisciplinary reviews of fetal and infant deaths to understand how wide array of local, social, economic, public health, educational, environmental, and safety issues relate to the tragedy of fetal and infant loss. 

The FIMR program is possible due to A Safety PIN grant award from the Indiana Department of Health and local maternal infant health professionals and community organizations who are committed to improving birth outcomes in St. Joseph County. The FIMR Program consists of two parts: Case Review and Community Action. The Case Review Team meets every 1-2 months to review cases of infant and fetal loss, using a decisions process to determine opportunities to improve pregnancy and infant health and recommend community actions. Using these recommendations, Community Action is taken through workgroups and special initiatives to address barriers to care during pregnancy, connect families to resources, improve systems, and create educational resources for mothers, families, the community, and health professionals.