Billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she is handing out $640 million, more than twice the amount she had initially pledged to give away this year. According to her Yield Giving website, the “open call” asked for applications from nonprofits that are community-led with missions “to advance the voices and opportunities of individuals and families of meager or modest means.” Only nonprofits with annual budgets between $1 million and $5 million were eligible to apply.
The People’s Health Clinic was one of 82 organizations that received $1 million; 279 others were awarded $2 million.
CEO Mairi Leining is grateful for the funding that will be used to extend the clinic’s evening hours starting this summer.
“Our patient population has just extremely demanding jobs with restrictive work hours,” Leining said. “And based on a patient survey we conducted last summer, what they really want to be able to do is come in and see us after work in the evening.”
So why People’s Health Clinic? Leining says the staff from Yield Giving were very complimentary with their feedback.
“They liked our innovative programming, including how we've approached the care of patients with diabetes,” she said. “How we've addressed latent tuberculosis in town, something that the health department hasn't had funding for. The fact that we've started a food pharmacy in collaboration with other nonprofit partners in town. And they also commented on how well we take care of our staff.”
The clinic is open Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Leining would like to add the extended hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays as well.
She is often surprised by the number of people who don’t know Park City has a free health clinic which she believes is part of the critical infrastructure to make Park City run.
“I want to make sure that our community understands we take care of people who support the tourism industry,” she said. “Park City is famous for tourism and we talk about sustainability and tourism. But for tourism to be sustainable, we have to have the staff to support this industry. And the staff are largely in employment situations where they're not receiving benefits and without us, they would not have health care.”
While the gift is a significant step forward, Leining knows there is still much work to be done. The uninsured population in the Park City area, she says, continues to grow and underscores the ongoing need for sustainable funding to expand the clinic’s services.
The Associated Press reports Mackenzie Scott has given away $16.5 billion from the fortune she came into after divorcing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
