Blue Shield of California Foundation Awards $12.3 Million: Community Clinics and Domestic Violence Shelters Top List of Recipients

Foundation Board of Trustees Welcomes Two New Members

San Francisco, May 22, 2008 – Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) today announced the award of $12.3 million in grants to nonprofit organizations across California. Of that, $8.1 million will be used to increase access to health care and coverage for uninsured Californians, $1.3 million to improve patient care through health technology, and $2.8 million toward ending domestic violence. The grants bring total giving by BSCF to $136 million since 2002.

Up to $7.1 million will be awarded to approximately 200 community clinics through BSCF’s annual Community Clinic and Consortium Core Support Initiative. This initiative will help support safety net organizations that provide medical services to millions of uninsured Californians. A $100,000 grant was awarded to Operation USA to provide donated medical supplies and equipment to community clinics in Northern California, expanding on the services the organization provides to clinics in Los Angeles County.

“Nearly three million uninsured and underinsured people receive vital healthcare services at California’s community clinics, and those numbers are growing,” said Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of BSCF. “Community clinics are the backbone of the state’s healthcare safety net and we are committed to helping them face the continuing challenges ahead.”

BSCF also is committed to the use of technology in health care to help save lives, time and money. Toward that end, BSCF awarded $1.3 million to Integrated Healthcare Association in Alameda to evaluate medical technology used in cardiology and orthopedics, providing California hospitals with information that will be used to help improve quality of care, purchasing methods, and payment systems.

In its third program area, BSCF awarded $2.3 million to the Domestic Violence Shelter Initiative to support shelters and domestic violence service providers who offer a safe haven where victims can begin to heal and rebuild their lives. Additionally, $275,000 will go to Marin Abused Women’s Services to train at least 40 community leaders to conduct domestic violence education and prevention activities throughout the state.

Also today, the Foundation announced two new appointments to its board of trustees: William (Bill) Hauck and David Kears.
Hauck is president of the California Business Roundtable, a statewide, nonpartisan organization composed of chief executive officers of California’s leading corporations. He is a founder of State Net, the Sacramento-based company that maintains a database of national and state legislation. He is also a member of the board of trustees for the California State University system, and has held numerous top positions in state government, including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Governor Pete Wilson, and Chief of Staff to Assembly Speakers Bob Moretti and Willie L. Brown, Jr.

Kears is director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, where he oversees the agency’s Indigent Care Public Health Department, Emergency Medical Services, Environmental Health Services and Behavioral Health Care Services. In the 1990s, Kears developed a landmark public/private Medi-Cal managed care program, the Alameda Alliance for Health. He is a gubernatorial appointee to the First 5 Commission, and a Senate Rules Committee appointee to the Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism.

“Bill and Dave bring a breadth and depth of expertise to our board that will be invaluable as we continue to tackle some of the most complex and difficult problems plaguing our healthcare system,” said Hayling. “Bill is respected throughout California and the nation as someone who works toward solutions to pressing public policy issues, and Dave has successfully tackled issues of healthcare cost, quality and access at the local level. Both men will play key roles as BSCF continues its work to ensure all Californians have access to quality care.”

Serving with Hauck, Kears and Hayling on the BSCF Board of Trustees are: Ezra Davidson, Jr., MD, F.A.C.O.G.; Belva Davis, television journalist; Tom Epstein, vice president for public affairs, Blue Shield of California; Heidi Kunz, executive vice president and CFO, Blue Shield of California; Dr. Aliza Lifshitz, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and; Esta Soler, founder and president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the largest health care grantmaking organizations in California. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.blueshieldcafoundation.org. The Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.2 million members, 4,300 employees and 20 offices throughout California. For more information about the company, please visit www.blueshieldca.com.