Organizational Capacity Building serves as a critical strategic pillar for our mission to empower and strengthen our membership organizations.
By providing strategic support and resources that enhance their effectiveness and amplify their collective impact, we aim to foster a thriving ecosystem of resilient organizations working collaboratively to address community needs.
Pillar Purpose
Our purpose is to strengthen and build organizational capacity for our region’s safety net providers.
Through fiscal sponsorship, shared services, capacity-building support, grant writing and administration, collective advocacy, and knowledge sharing, we equip our members with the tools they need to work as effectively and sustainably as possible.
About Organizational Capacity-Building
At the St. Louis Integrated Health Network (IHN), we believe in the power of partnership and collaboration. Our mission is to advance health equity and improve wellbeing by increasing access to health and social services, particularly for communities that have been historically excluded.
We envision a future where the collective impact of our membership organizations leads to significant and lasting improvements in community outcomes.
Capacity building is an investment in the future of our communities. By leveraging the power of collective impact, we strive to create an environment that drives innovative solutions, addresses systemic barriers, and promotes policies supporting the well-being of the communities we serve.
Health Center Organizational Capacity Building
We work closely with the four Health Centers in the City of St. Louis – Affinia Healthcare, CareSTL Health, Family Care Health Centers, and People’s Health Centers – to build organizational capacity. Our goal is to increase access to health and social services through fiscal sponsorship, shared services, and regional planning.
Capital Investment in FQHC Facilities
Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), we have been able to make transformative infrastructure investments to address the health and economic consequences of the pandemic. In collaboration with the Missouri Primary Care Association (MPCA), we have supported capital improvements for community health and behavioral health centers. IHN has received $12.87 million in funds from the City of St. Louis, Community Development Administration (CDA) over three years for the four federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) serving the City of St. Louis. These projects are increasing access to medical, dental, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health services while creating jobs, rebuilding our communities, and yielding a significant economic impact to the City of St. Louis.
Public Benefits Navigator Program
Working with the City of St. Louis, Affordable Housing Commission (AHC), we have provided $1 million over two years in COVID Recovery Funds to the St. Louis FQHCs to assist low-income residents of the City of St. Louis with navigating healthcare enrollment. This project leverages the FQHCs to ensure coverage to those community members who qualify. The Health Centers are combining clinic and community-based deployment of resources and personnel to increase coverage and therefore increasing access to care and building stronger health outcomes for our city and region.
COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing, Vaccination and Treatment Services
In partnership with the City of St. Louis, Department of Health, we have provided $1.5 million in COVID Recovery Funds to support the four Health Centers for testing, vaccinations, and treatment services related to COVID-19 for marginalized and low-income residents of the City of St. Louis. Testing and vaccination remain the safest strategies for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health outcomes, and death.
Community-Based Organizational Capacity Building
Our partnerships extend beyond health centers. We collaborate with community nonprofits throughout our region to assist in building their organizational capacity through grant partnership, fiscal sponsorship, strategic planning, and collaborative tables.
Empowering Thriving Communities
Originally formed as the Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities (BRIC) table through a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant with Washington University, a group of St. Louis nonprofits worked together to promote healthy living and reduce social isolation during the COVID pandemic. Now renamed as the Empowering Thriving Communities (ETC) collective, this group is embarking on a new CDC grant focused on nutrition and physical activity. IHN continues to support the organizational capacity building of these nonprofits and future collaborative efforts.
At IHN, we are committed to leveraging our common interests, resources, and expertise to create unified community-wide solutions to the toughest public health problems. Together, we can build a healthier, more equitable future for all.