At Salal, we have a long history of supporting nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. Our credit union was originally called Group Health Employee Credit Union. We were founded back in 1948 by nine Group Health employees who pooled together $45 to start a credit union. So, it’s safe to say we have healthcare in our DNA.
Along with serving the financial needs of healthcare heroes for over 70 years, we provide support for career development, such as scholarships and continuing education opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this support even more important, as healthcare professionals in our communities have faced many challenges. Stress and burnout can impact their mental health, while the risks of being infected themselves can endanger their physical health.
The Difference Your Membership Makes
This past year, Salal members and members of the Salal Foundation have provided support for healthcare workers and their patients in many ways. From a nursing camp for high school students to an initiative to help a community health care network reach underserved people, Salal members continue to make an impact simply by banking or financing with Salal. Here’s a look at a few highlights from this past year.
UW Nurses Camp
The support of Salal members helped UW Nurse Camp provide high school students from underrepresented communities the chance to learn more about opportunities in higher education, nursing school, and a nursing career. At the camp, students engage in a variety of sessions on topics such as self-care, social determinants of health and health disparities, how to properly put on personal protective equipment (PPE), how to apply for college, and careers in the nursing field. Participants also get a chance to talk with current undergraduate and graduate nursing students, along with nurses and practitioners currently working in the field. In 2021, Salal’s $12,000 donation helped 32 high school students attend the camp.
Healthpoint Care Support Expansion Program
Last year, Salal was able to give $30,000 to the HealthPoint community healthcare network. This donation funded the organization’s Care Support Expansion Program, designed to provide intensive “whole-health” support to help high-need, high-risk patients achieve improved health and quality of life.
On behalf of HealthPoint and the many patients, we will be able to assist with the funding from Salal Credit Union, thank you!! We are so excited about the opportunity to be able to help real people in real-time with much-needed tangible support for a variety of things that can help improve their wellbeing and ability to manage chronic conditions or improve their health. This funding is particularly needed as we continue to navigate a healthcare system that has not yet fully evolved to support whole-person care. This is a truly meaningful step in our ability to assist people with these needs, and to build new knowledge about what it might look like if we are able to support some of what we call the ‘social determinants of health.’ These funds will also help us target some of our support to the most vulnerable and underserved populations in our community.
—Sarah Jemley, Director of Care Support
In 2021, Salal and the Salal Foundation gave a total of $135,000 to healthcare-related causes. This commitment has continued in 2022 as well. To learn more about the impact Salal members are making, visit our Community Impact page.
