Blue Cross and Blue Shield giving

[From Philanthropy News Digest] In an effort to support the health and wellness of their local communities, thirty-nine independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies awarded more than $208 million in grants during 2009 — a year-over-year increase of $13 million — a new report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association finds.

The report, Investing in America's Health (82 pages, PDF), found that grants awarded by BCBS companies were used to subsidize healthcare services, develop innovative patient safety initiatives, and launch targeted intervention programs designed to combat childhood obesity and diabetes. Recipients included the Florida Health Literacy Grants Program, which was created by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and the Florida Literacy Coalition to improve the health literacy level of Florida residents; the Health Center Initiative, which was created by the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey to provide financial and technical resources to nonprofit community-directed organizations that provide healthcare services regardless of a patient's insurance status or ability to pay; and the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety, which uses evidence-based strategies to improve the reliability, safety, and quality of care received by patients in Tennessee hospitals.

Erie Community Foundation grants

The Erie Community Foundation is now accepting Health and Environment grant proposals. This category encompasses requests from nonprofits working to promote improved health outcomes.

Services funded may include:

• Health centers serving patients who are uninsured, under-insured or receive Medical Assistance
• Services improving child and maternal health outcomes
• Agencies promoting healthy lifestyles, nutrition and improved fitness among children and youth
• Organizations handling end-of-life and palliative care
• Home health care organizations
• Environment requests from organizations working toward improved land-use planning, preservation and protection of the natural environment, resources and wildlife, and energy efficiency

Grants are announced by Oct. 4, 2010. Deadline is July 16, 2010.

If you have questions, e-mail David González, program officer or call (814) 454-0843.

Physicians Foundation grants - Leadership and Health IT

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Physicians Foundation is committed to helping bring the voice of physicians to national-level conversations and debate on issues that affect practicing physicians and their patients.

Through a new grantmaking program, the foundation will support new approaches and models to provide for the ongoing professional development of physicians as leaders in the healthcare arena. Specifically, the foundation will fund innovative programs for physician leadership development and skills-building activities, which may include the development, evaluation, and implementation of new programs, curriculum and content, and program resources. The foundation also will consider funding projects that help organizations develop the internal capacity to do this work on an ongoing basis. The program will not fund existing continuing medical education offerings or other clinical education.

Health Information Technology in Practice: Toolkit Grants initiative is to support physicians' adoption of certified electronic health record systems through the development of tools and resources. Through this initiative, the foundation will make grants to support projects focused on the development, testing, and dissemination of practical, efficient tools and resources to aid in physicians' adoption and meaningful use of certified EHRs. Projects can be focused specifically on practice readiness or selection and implementation of technology, or projects can be more broadly designed to address a variety of needs. Tools and educational resources should be geared towards small practices (twenty-five physicians or fewer). Products developed as part of these grants must be replicable in terms of reasonable financial cost and efficient use of human resources. In addition, projects should complement and/or support the work of the newly established Regional Extension Centers.

Applicant organizations must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations or educational institutions located in the United States. Private foundations as defined in IRC section 509 (a) are not eligible.