United Health Foundation grants $3M to Valle del Sol for child health care

PHOENIX– United Health Foundation announced Thursday that it has committed $3 million to Valle del Sol Community Health in order to improve schoolchildren’s access to primary and behavioral healthcare services for communities in need.

The program will create mobile medical teams that will be capable of providing primary, psychiatry and behavioral health services for middle- and high-school students. Students will be able to participate in the medical visits through opportunities in their school or through telehealth programs.

The program will go effect beginning in July, and is expected to serve nearly 11,000 children over the next three years, according to United Health Foundation.

“This grant will help Arizona kids and families access consistent care that is critical to their development and well-being,” said Governor Doug Ducey said in a press release.

“I’m grateful to the United Health Foundation for its continued support for families and its efforts to address the health care needs of underserved communities.”

Through the three mobile medical units and their respective teams, the grant will support Valle del Sol’s effort to coordinate with school systems and foster home groups to identify and care for children who may need access to vital medical programs.

“This is a game-changer. We are grateful to the United Health Foundation for its support to help us expand our reach to so many more children and families in the Phoenix area,” said Carmen Heredia, CEO of Valle del Sol Community Health in the release.

“Better meeting children’s critical health care needs means better school attendance, hopefully a reduction in mental health symptoms, and a better start toward a healthy life.”

As a federally qualified health center and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, Valle del Sol is a Phoenix-based clinic that provides behavioral prevention, treatment, primary medical care and community. United Health Foundation’s partnership with the clinic is the newest portion of the nonprofit’s Arizona-centered health care improvements.