Blue Shield of California Foundation Awards $10 Million

First Quarter Grants Support Healthcare Solutions for Californians in Need, Create First Statewide Network of "One-Stop" 
Domestic Violence Centers

Foundation Board of Trustees Also Welcomes New Member

San Francisco, February 26, 2009 - Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) today announced that it is awarding more than $10 million to nonprofits working to improve the health and safety of Californians.

The first quarter grantmaking includes 19 months of premium subsidy support to the Children's Health Initiative coalitions that administer Healthy Kids programs across the state. Up to $7.75 million in funding will provide coverage for 7,000 children ages 6 to 18 from families that are at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level and ineligible for existing public health insurance programs.

Meanwhile, BSCF will continue to pursue systems change that will extend coverage to millions of uninsured and underinsured California families. To support that goal, the Foundation has awarded $998,000 to AmericaSpeaks to provide information, tools, and technical assistance for community leaders and residents to participate more effectively in the state and national healthcare debate. The new funding builds on the successful 2007 CaliforniaSpeaks event that engaged thousands of Californians in the health reform discussion.

"Keeping the goal of universal coverage in the forefront is a top priority," said Crystal Hayling, president and CEO of BSCF. "We hope to see California very much at the table in the health reform discussion."

The Foundation is also taking a systems change approach to ending domestic violence. It has awarded approximately $1.4 million to the National Family Justice Center Alliance to launch the California Family Justice Initiative, a network of nine "one-stop" domestic violence centers across California, putting vital services that are normally delivered from separate locations under one roof. The California Family Justice Center Alliance will also use BSCF funds to support three regional training centers in Alameda County, Anaheim, and San Diego, as well as six emerging co-located centers across the state.

"Typically, a woman fleeing abuse has to navigate a complex web of services housed in different places and with different rules and procedures," explained Hayling. "By coordinating those services and delivering them in one location, we will be making it easier and more convenient for these women to get the care they need when they need it most."

Information on these and other BSCF grants can be found through the Foundation's searchable database.

Hernández Joins the Board

Also today, the Foundation announced that Antonia Hernández will join its board of trustees. Hernández is currently the president and CEO of the California Community Foundation, one of Southern California's largest and most active philanthropic organizations and a leading funder in key areas of health and human services, affordable housing, early childhood education, and community arts and culture.

She has been nationally recognized for her commitment toward the betterment of underserved communities, especially in Los Angeles. Previously, she served as president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund - a nonprofit that protects the civil rights of Latinos nationwide - and worked as a counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

"Antonia's expertise in philanthropy, civil rights, and immigration will help the Foundation protect the health and well-being of those Californians most likely to slip through the cracks," said Hayling. "We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to add her to our leadership team."

In addition to Hayling, Hernández will join the following individuals on the BSCF board of trustees: Ezra Davidson, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.O.G.; Belva Davis, television journalist; Tom Epstein, vice president for public affairs, Blue Shield of California; Bill Hauck, president of the California Business Roundtable; David Kears, director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency; Heidi Kunz, executive vice president and CFO, Blue Shield of California; Aliza Lifshitz, M.D., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Esta Soler, founder and president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund.

About Blue Shield of California Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the largest healthcare grantmaking organizations in California. For more information, visit: www.blueshieldcafoundation.org.  The Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.4 million members, 4,700 employees and 20 offices throughout California. For more information about the company, please visit www.blueshieldca.com.