EyeCare4Kids Arizona is a recipient of the Vitalyst Health Foundation Medical Assistance Grant, which supports direct-service organizations in specific fields—such as vision, hearing, heart/lung, and substance use—for populations living in poverty in Maricopa County. The three-year funding commitment (2023-26) helps EC4K AZ increase the number of services it can offer to Alhambra Elementary School District students as well as other children who visit the non-profit’s Alhambra Vision Clinic located within the Alhambra Family Resource Center in Glendale, Arizona. Eye exams, vision services and prescription glasses produced with self-selected frames are provided to underserved children at the clinic.
“EyeCare4Kids Arizona provides a foundation for health by ensuring children have the vision care they need to succeed in school, and in turn, providing a key opportunity for their future success,” said Suzanne Pfister, President and CEO, of Vitalyst Health Foundation. “Medical Assistance Grants carry on Vitalyst’s history of funding health initiatives since our creation, and the work of EyeCare4Kids will provide much-needed services to our community’s youth.”
“We believe every child who needs glasses should have them,” said Cecil Swyers, senior executive director, EyeCare4Kids Arizona. “The support received from Vitalyst Health Foundation will be instrumental to our ability at EyeCare4Kids Arizona to reach our goal to provide no-cost services for 2,000 diverse youth every year who are uninsured or under-insured. Vitalyst Health Foundation expands the quality of care and improves access to much-needed vision services for low-income and underserved populations in Maricopa County. We are extremely grateful to be a Vitalyst grantee and know it will enrich the lives of the children we help to see!”
ABOUT VITALYST
Vitalyst Health Foundation is on a mission to inform, connect and support efforts to improve the health of individuals and communities in Arizona. Over its history, the foundation has invested more than $130 million and established itself as a key thought leader, convener and catalyst of key initiatives—ranging from statewide health policy and systems to development of local community gardens. More information is available at http://vitalysthealth.org/.
ABOUT VITALYST’S MEDICAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS
Vitalyst Health Foundation was created when the St. Luke’s Hospital System was sold in 1995. In keeping with the hospital’s long tradition of charity care, restricted funds for Medical Assistance Grants were transferred to Vitalyst with the sale of the hospital system. Every three years, Vitalyst requests proposals from nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations that provide services, treatment, and programs in the areas of hearing, vision, substance use disorder, and heart and lung that leverage existing resources and maximize community benefit. Note: The Medical Assistance Grants Cycle is now closed and will reopen in 2026.