Initiatives
A Collaborative Approach
We take a collaborative approach to addressing needs in our community. Working to get upstream on issues, stakeholders are engaged to develop solutions around an area of need. Initiatives combine the impact of grantmaking with convening and collaboration and are catalytic in nature.
Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
Quantum Foundation is committed to providing opportunities and support for medical careers in Palm Beach County as one strategy to achieve our vision.
The Healthcare Career Pipeline Network is a group of eight organizations in Palm Beach County that are individually working towards a common goal: increasing the number of Palm Beach County youth from underrepresented minority groups that work in the healthcare field.
Palm Beach County needs Healthcare Professionals.
Data documents that Palm Beach County not only needs more healthcare professionals, it also needs a more diverse healthcare workforce to serve its diverse population and create positive health outcomes for residents. Network members serve Palm Beach County, Florida, a county where 130 languages are spoken in the schools, 18% of residents are African American, 20% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and almost a quarter of all residents are foreign-born.
Telehealth
Quantum Foundation is currently developing a forum that will focus on initiating the adoption, sustainability and utilization of virtual health technologies within Quantum’s Community Partners.
Technological advances in healthcare are rapidly booming and providing innovative ways to streamline healthcare for individuals. The wide array of virtual health services today help improve access to healthcare, reduce costs associated with receiving and providing healthcare, and have been shown to increase the overall quality of health services.
Helping the residents of Palm Beach County sustain better health outcomes.
We will begin a forum to initiate conversations around implementing virtual health services to uninsured/underserved populations. We believe Virtual Health services have the ability to complement traditional health care and help the residents of Palm Beach County sustain better health outcomes. If your organization is interested or has ideas around the topic of virtual health, feel free to contact C’jon Armstead at cjon@quantumfnd.org or Randy Scheid at randy@quantumfnd.org.
ACEs
Adverse Childhood Experiences during childhood lead to toxic stress and poor health outcomes later in life. There is a direct correlation between ACE’s and poor health outcomes. There is also an increased risk for chronic disease and negative health behaviors. Multiple exposures to traumatic event can greatly affect the intensity of not only psychological symptoms but also physical health symptoms later in life.
In terms of health outcomes, a person with four or more ACEs is:
• 2 times as likely to have heart disease
• 4 times as likely to have a stroke
• 9 times as likely to have cancer
• 6 times as likely to have diabetes
In terms of health behaviors, a person with four or more ACEs is:
• 2 times as likely to attempt suicide
• 3 times as likely to inject drugs
• 4 times as likely to be an alcoholic
How do we respond?
• Advance trauma-informed practices.
• The long-term effects of ACE’s can be counterbalanced with protective factors. We provide funding to train health professionals on appropriate interventions to screen, assess and build resiliency.
• Move from knowledge to action.
• Partnering with the Center for Child Counseling on the #FightingACEs initiative.
Healthy Communities
With a community voice, Quantum seeks to find opportunities where the confluence of public, private, and nonprofit partnerships will address the social determinants of health.
There are many factors that influence a person’s health outside of a medical office: income, housing, education, neighborhood safety, and transportation.
Where you live affects everything from community resources to whether you can exercise safely to your daily access to healthy food.
Positively influencing social and economic conditions.
Quantum’s goal is to develop innovative ways to coordinate initiatives across sectors and with community partners that positively influence social and economic conditions that people need to live happy, healthy, and productive lives.