The Portland-based Northwest Health Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $1.4 million for projects in Oregon and Washington.

Five grants were awarded as part of the foundation's health and medical research program, which supports clinical, translational, epidemiological, and other types of research. Two other grants were awarded as part of a multi-year initiative that aims to improve the quality of life for people suffering from arthritis and other rheumatic conditions. And the foundation awarded fourteen grants to projects that address community health needs, including the mental health of rural residents and homeless youth.

"These new awards reflect the foundation's priority and emerging funding areas in mental health and public health, particularly those that address the health of children and youth," said foundation president Thomas Aschenbrener. "From a project that aims to prevent and treat obesity in preschool children, to another that will improve the diagnosis and treatment of young people undergoing a psychotic episode, these projects maintain and expand our long-standing commitment to serving our region's most vulnerable citizens."