Salem Health presented a $50,000 Community Partnership Grant to the Salvation Army to fund an alcohol and drug professional mentor for the Salvation Army Lighthouse Shelter.

Salem Health introduced the Community Partnership Grant program in Oct. 2014 and will grant a total of $306,382 in 2017. Successful initiatives improve the quality of life for those most at risk in our community and decrease the need for catastrophic care and its associated social, emotional and economic costs.

“At the Lighthouse Shelter, the ADP mentor walks alongside those with addiction and supports them as they make strides toward sobriety,” said Sharon Heuer, Director of Community Benefit at Salem Health. “The mentor knows the road to recovery and helps clients navigate the way.”

Since 1966, The Lighthouse Shelter has provided the Salem community with a six month transitional shelter for men and women looking to become self-sufficient. In 2016, the shelter housed 361 individuals in need. The shelter, located at 1901 Front Street in Salem, believes in meeting the needs of the whole person, including the physical, emotional and spiritual. During their stay, residents have access to three meals a day, laundry facilities, showers and warm beds.

Shelter residents work closely with case managers who connect them with community resources and help combat barriers to self-sufficiency. Case managers guide residents each week, help establish individualized plans, set goals and track progress. The program is available for up to six months, and potentially longer, if the resident is making significant progress. The grant-funded alcohol and drug professional mentor will support individuals living at the shelter who are experiencing substance abuse and who are in need of establishing on-going support services in the community.

 “Approximately 58 percent of shelter residents identify a substance abuse history with addictions, and 17 percent are extreme cases of substance abuse disorder,” said Captain Dan Williams. “The funds granted by Salem Health will allow us to create behavioral support plans encompassing both mental health and substance abuse. We’re so grateful to partner with Salem Health in this way.”

Community Partnership Grant funding encourages innovative collaboration and engagement among community organizations that share a common vision for better health and meet community health needs identified by the Salem Health Board of Trustees. Current priorities for projects include obesity prevention, tobacco and substance use and early childhood health.  

Salem Health offers exceptional care to people in and around Oregon’s mid-Willamette Valley. It comprises hospitals in Salem and Dallas, a medical group of primary and specialty care providers, plus other affiliated services. Visit us at www.salemhealth.org; “Like” us on www.facebook.com/salemhealth; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at www.youtube.com/salemhealth.

Pictured (L to R): Herb Sims, Salvation Army Advisory Board Chairperson; Dr. Ralph Yates, Chief Medical Officer of Salem Health; Melissa Baurer, Salvation Army Director of Community Services; and Captain Dan Williams, Salvation Army Marion and Polk County Coordinator and Kroc Corps Community Center Administrator