Blue Shield of California Foundation Announces $7.3 Million in Third-Quarter Funding
New funding will help drive innovation in domestic violence prevention and among California’s health care safety net
San Francisco, September 25, 2012 — Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) announced today $7.3 million in third-quarter funding. Nearly half of these funds will support innovative solutions to increase efficiency, expand access to quality care, and reduce costs across the health care safety net. Dramatic changes under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provide California with an unprecedented opportunity to redesign how health care is delivered to the underserved and improve domestic violence prevention strategies.
“Health reform is reshaping California’s safety net,” said Peter V. Long, Ph.D., president and CEO of BSCF. “Coupling this transformation with strategic innovations, we can make our health care system serve low-income Californians in a better, smarter, and more cost effective way.”
As part of today’s announcement, BSCF has committed $2,775,000 over 15 months for an innovation incubator to help position health care safety net providers as providers of choice within a new healthcare landscape. This funding will help drive new approaches and disruptive innovations in community health centers throughout California to improve the health of populations, enhance the patient experience, and control the per capita cost of care.
Below is a summary of all third-quarter grants for 2012:
HEALTH CARE AND COVERAGE ($3,121,080)
The following grants are designed to expand access to affordable, effective care for underserved Californians.
Rural Safety Net Integration ($999,947): California’s rural counties face unique challenges, including high numbers of uninsured patients, difficulty attracting physicians, and significant access problems for specialty care and behavioral health services. These grants will provide the working capital needed to develop and implement creative solutions among California’s rural health safety net and transform its ability to offer seamless, well-coordinated care for some of the most vulnerable Californians. Funds will support the following organizations:
• Alliance for Rural Community Health (Lake and Mendocino Counties)
• Butte County Department of Behavioral Health (Butte County)
• Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo, Inc. (Imperial County)
• Health Alliance of Northern California (Shasta County)
• John C. Fremont Healthcare District (Mariposa County)
• Mountain Valleys Health Centers, Inc. (Lassen, Modoc and Siskiyou Counties)
• Open Door Community Health Centers (Del Norte and Humboldt Counties)
• Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians (El Dorado County)
California State Rural Health Association (Sacramento, CA; $75,000): To support rural safety net integration by helping rural safety net providers share best practices and by providing technical assistance.
California Primary Care Association (Sacramento, CA; $400,000): To prepare community health centers for full implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2014.
California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (Oakland, CA; $250,000): To strengthen and support public hospital systems as they adapt to changes under health reform.
California School Health Centers Association (Oakland, CA; $250,000): To improve student and family health by integrating school health centers with other community providers.
Alameda County Health Care Services Agency (San Leandro, CA; $170,880): To pilot a Fire Station Health Portal model as an alternative source of primary care for low-income residents in Alameda County.
Center for Youth Wellness (San Francisco, CA; $150,665): To develop a model that integrates primary and behavioral care for urban children experiencing chronic stress and trauma including domestic violence.
Council of Community Clinics (San Diego, CA; $99,588): To engage health centers and other community stakeholders in a strategic dialogue about safety net transformation to improve the patient experience in San Diego County.
Public Health Institute (Oakland, CA; $250,000): To understand how community health workers and promotores in California contribute to lower costs, a better patient experience, and improved health outcomes.
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (San Francisco, CA; $200,000): To improve coverage opportunities for Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders throughout California and understand who will remain uninsured under health reform.
Public Policy Institute of California (San Francisco, CA; $100,000): To support research related to coverage and access to care for California’s underserved populations.
Watsonville Law Center (Watsonville, CA; $75,000): To improve California community health centers’ ability to deliver workers’ compensation healthcare to injured workers.
Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (Los Angeles, CA; $100,000): To improve retention and recruitment of Chief Medical Officers and physicians at community health centers in Los Angeles County through mentorship and leadership development.
BLUE SHIELD AGAINST VIOLENCE ($1,470,023)
The following is an overview of new funding aimed at ending domestic violence (DV) in California.
TechSoup Global (San Francisco, CA; $297,485): To continue development of sustainable information technology (IT) solutions and infrastructure among domestic violence service providers throughout California.
Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent, Inc. (San Francisco, CA; $220,950): To refine an online Domestic Violence Information and Referral Center (DVIRC) database for service providers in the San Francisco Bay Area and to expand and test the model in Del Norte and Ventura counties.
St. John's Well Child and Family Center (Los Angeles, CA; $141,588): To pilot and evaluate a culturally competent, video-based screening and referral system to treat immigrant domestic violence survivors with low English language abilities in community health centers in L.A. County.
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (San Francisco, CA; $265,000): To pilot and evaluate a text-based, mobile phone technology to increase access to a network of free or low-cost and culturally-appropriate domestic violence services for immigrant Latina women in Fresno County.
Blue Star Families, Inc. (Falls Church, VA; $150,000): To support a peer-to-peer domestic violence prevention program for military families across the country; to convene a third America Joins Forces with Military Families summit; and to develop a national consortium of organizations for military family support.
Swords to Plowshares (San Francisco, CA; $120,000): To expand veteran and family violence cultural competency training for law enforcement professionals in California.
Futures Without Violence (San Francisco, CA; $275,000): To develop a national advocacy agenda and take advantage of new opportunities afforded by the Affordable Care Act to fund prevention and care for children and youth exposed to family violence.
ABOUT BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA FOUNDATION
Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the state’s largest and most trusted grantmaking organizations. Our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians, particularly underserved populations, by making health care accessible, effective, and affordable, and by ending domestic violence. 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, 4,800 employees, and 20 offices throughout California. Visit: www.blueshieldca.com.
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