CORVALLIS - During the next 12 months, Samaritan Health Services will distribute more than $500,000 to support community health initiatives in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties through its Social Accountability Budget (SAB). Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital (SLCH) will distribute $62,500 of the total amount to initiatives in Lebanon and Sweet Home.

Grants to East Linn organizations are:

€ $5,000 to Child Victim Assessment Center for a new color copier/printer.

€ $2,500 to Lebanon Gleaners for a new computer and membership events.

€ $11,000 to Sweet Home Emergency Ministries for milk and food boxes.

€ $3,500 to Community Services Consortium for Youthbuild's greenhouse.

€ $9,200 to Pregnancy Alternative Center for its parenting connections program and pregnancy health clinic.

€ $3,600 to CHIP/Build Lebanon Trails for equipment for public presentations.

€ $1,500 to CHIP for bike helmets and repair kits.

€ $3,000 to Riverview Elementary parent teacher club for an asphalt fitness track.

€ $3,300 to the Lebanon Community Swim Club for exercise equipment.

€ $2,400 to TIP of Linn County for training programs.

€ $8,500 to FISH of Lebanon for prescriptions and transportation.

€ $3,000 to Lebanon Emergency Shelter for health care costs for residents.

€ $1,500 to Lebanon Community Schools to improve vision referral reliability.

€ $2,500 to Caring Team Ministries for its smoking cessation program.

"The Social Accountability Budget reflects an important extension of our health care mission," said SHS President/CEO Larry A. Mullins. "We are pleased to provide this support for dozens of local organizations to assist with their health-related programs and services. It is this cooperative spirit that helps make our community a special place to live."

The budget was established by the board of directors in 1997 and allocates a percentage of the previous year's net earnings to support community-based health initiatives. All Samaritan-affiliated hospitals participate in the annual process, with committees at each hospital reviewing and selecting funding proposals.

To be eligible for funding from the Social Accountability Budget, programs must: focus on unmet needs in underserved populations; be collaborative, involving partnerships with other organizations; focus on improving the health status in the community; use quality indicators to measure progress and outcomes, reporting results and sharing them widely to attract more resources; plan for self-sufficiency, where appropriate; and operate efficiently, ideally with an administrative overhead of 15 percent or less.

In 2007, SHS provided nearly $4 million in community benefit funding. That amount includes Social Accountability Budget funds, in-kind donations, volunteer hours, free health screenings and other outreach activities. An additional $8.8 million was provided in charity care, or direct services for individuals who were unable to pay.