Health care
BY CLAIRE SHOOP
Every year, the Georgetown Health Foundation contributes between $3 million-$4 million to Georgetown area nonpro ts working to support all aspects of residents’ health, CEO Scott Alarcón said. Since its inception, this has amounted to more than $40 million distributed to 50 local organizations. “We don’t just think of health as primary, preventative and acute care,” Alarcón said. “We think about green spaces. We think about access to healthy and nutritious foods. We think about postsecondary education and employment. All of those things go to your overall health.” How we got here Alarcón started at the Georgetown Hospital—at that point an independent nonpro t community hospital—as an administrator in 1999. He was part of the team that decided to sell the hospital to St. David’s HealthCare in 2006. As part of the sale, what became the Georgetown Health Foundation kept an equity interest in all of St. David’s HealthCare, meaning a portion of the foundation’s revenues are tied to pro ts from all St. David’s hospitals systemwide. Georgetown Health Foundation also receives revenue from its area real estate holdings, and its traditional stock and bond portfolio. Alarcón said because of the organization’s roots, sta want to keep investment in Georgetown local. “Because we were Georgetown Hospital, our funds impact the community of Georgetown kind of on a micro level,” Alarcón said. The details Georgetown Health Foundation provides grants and makes multiyear investments in local nonpro t organizations, including The Caring Place, The Georgetown Project and ROCK, Alarcón said. In 2022, it purchased the building for the Carver Center for Families, a family resource center that houses a number of partner organizations. Among them are a WIC clinic and Lone Star Market, a predominantly WIC grocery store, which helps shoppers maximize their bene ts from the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program. Other organizations at the Carver Center include Bridges to Growth, Georgetown Backpack Buddies, A Gift of Time, Starry, AGE of Central Texas and Catholic Charities. Georgetown Health Foundation supports local nonpro ts
CEO Scott Alarcón was an administrator at the Georgetown Hospital, and helped navigate its sale to St. David’s HealthCare as well as the establishment of the Georgetown Health Foundation.
PHOTOS BY CLAIRE SHOOP COMMUNITY IMPACT
Additionally, the Georgetown Health Foundation renovated the gym, and the YMCA leads program- ming there. The Hive o ers a place for caregivers and children to gather and play, and the building touts an outdoor playground. “Carver, in the last two years, has absolutely shifted our mindset on how we can improve the health of the community,” Alarcón said. On the horizon Georgetown Health Foundation’s next major initiative is the Center for Nonpro t Success, which will provide education, training and capacity build- ing for nonpro t organizations’ sta and boards. Alarcón said the center will have a portal with a learning management system and an AI compo- nent that will help nonpro ts write policies or job descriptions using industry best practices. The center will be a partnership with Central Texas Community Foundation, and received a gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Alarcón said the center will help Georgetown Health Foundation’s grant funding go farther. “There’s always a way for us to provide some level of support,” Alarcón said. Get involved While the foundation doesn’t directly fundraise, Alarcón said one way to support its work is by plug- ging in at one of Georgetown’s many nonpro ts. “I would just ask for folks to nd their passion because there are dozens of exceptional nonpro ts that could use your support,” Alarcón said.
The foundation bought its current headquarters building in 2018, and moved into it in the fall.
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A Headquarters: 624 S. Austin Ave., Ste. 200, Georgetown B Carver Center for Families: 1200 W. 17th St., Georgetown www.gthf.org
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GEORGETOWN EDITION
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