HEALTH FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.7 MILLION IN GRANTS

HEALTH FOUNDATION AWARDS $1.7 MILLION IN GRANTS

NEW BRITAIN (May 13, 2008) - The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) Board of Directors approved 18 grants during its first quarter board meeting to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities, increase access to children’s oral health and improve children’s mental health services.

“With these grants, not only will some organizations and agencies develop programs to provide improved quality and access to health care for residents, others also will develop policies and advocate for reform that will impact the health care system,” says Patricia Baker, CT Health president & CEO.

The awards range from $5,000 to $750,000, covering periods from one to three years. Grants provide funding ranging from free dental care in an underserved area in the Northeast corridor to training stakeholders how to implement a Health Education Lead Poisoning Initiative curriculum, designed to eliminate health disparities.

Grant recipients include:

Childrens’ Mental Health

African Caribbean American Parents of Children with Disabilities (Hartford) was awarded $30,000 to educate and train 150 parents and family members on their rights and use of mental health systems in Hartford and New Haven; 30 community members will learn how to participate in the legislative process.

Reducing Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Hartford) received a $20,000 grant to support the Third Annual Step-Off Classic, to address obesity through a nontraditional, African-American step dance.
Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches (Statewide) was awarded a $17,000 grant to support creating an Office of Minority Health.
Foundation for Educational Advancement, Inc. (Simsbury) received a $15,000 grant to expand collaborative efforts with policy-makers, national experts, public and nonprofit organizations, and train stakeholders on implementing the Health Education Lead Poisoning Initiative curriculum.
Hispanic Health Council (Hartford) received $15,000 to support the Connecticut Medical Interpretation Coalition’s strategy to recover Medicaid funds for medical interpretation during the 2008 legislative session.
Saint Francis Physician Hospital Organization (Hartford) received a 30-month, $194,058 grant to examine the effectiveness of an electronic personal health record system to improve Spanish-speaking and limited English proficiency diabetic patient management of care, patient/provider communication, and adherence to treatment recommendations.

Children’s Oral Health

Community Health Center, Inc. (Middletown) was awarded a $50,000 planning grant to test a health care model that improves access and quality of care in five communities.
New Britain Oral Health Collaborative (New Britain) was awarded $360,000 over three years to develop and implement sustainability strategies.
Connecticut Mission of Mercy (Statewide) – a partnership program with the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach and the Connecticut State Dental Association – was awarded $25,000 to provide free dental care to the neediest populations in the Northeast corridor.
Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (Statewide) received a $150,000 grant for general support to continue advocacy and education, while implementing a long-term strategy to effect system change aimed at increasing access.
Family Medicine Education Consortium, Inc. (National) was awarded $10,000 to develop the second edition of Smiles for Life: A National Oral Health Curriculum, published by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Oral Health.

Other health-related grants awarded:

Connecticut Council for Philanthropy (Statewide) received an $8,745 grant to support their 2008 President’s Award and Leadership Fund.
Connecticut Health Policy Project (New Haven) received a two-year grant of $75,035 to develop and advocate recommendations from a study that examines the impact of the Medicaid rate increase on physicians’ willingness to participate in the HUSKY program; and solicit physicians’ input on the HUSKY program’s future.
Council on Foundations (Washington, D.C.) received a $16,400 grant to support its nationwide grantmaking association activities.
Family Life Center (Hartford) received a $5,000 grant to support general operations.
Grantmakers in Health (Washington, D.C.) received a $5,500 grant to provide partnership support for this nationwide grantmaking association.
Greater Hartford Legal Aid, Inc. (Hartford) and partners – the Connecticut Legal Services, New Haven Legal Assistance and the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut – were awarded a three-year, $750,000 general operations grant to represent and advocate for the legal rights of Connecticut’s poorest population.
Citizens for Quality Sickle Cell Care, Inc. (New Britain) received a $5,000 grant for web site development and staff training to support operations.

The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) – www.cthealth.org – is the state’s largest independent, nonprofit grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of Connecticut through systemic change, program innovation and health policy analysis. Since it was established in July 1999, CT Health has awarded 438 grants in 44 cities and towns, totaling nearly $37 million in three priority areas – children’s mental health, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, and oral health.