FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      
February 7, 2005

Contact: Christine Mulvin
513-458-6621

 
The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati has awarded almost $500,000 to assist primary care providers to the poor in infrastructure improvements that will strengthen their operations, increase efficiency, and strengthen their ability to sustain their practices. The grants were awarded through a request for proposals, "Capacity Building for Primary Care Provider Organizations Serving Uninsured, Underinsured and Low-Income Populations" in the Health Foundation's Strengthening Primary Care Providers to the Poor focus area.
 
"Primary care providers to the poor are seeing an increasing number of uninsured and underserved patients," said Donald Hoffman, President and CEO of the Health Foundation. "It is vital that these organizations have resources to invest in building or strengthening their capacity to provide high quality medical services through well-trained health professionals."
 
The grant recipients will develop or strengthen core operational functions and leadership that will lead to higher levels of organizational performance. The grants will fund activities including strategic planning, board development, marketing and public relations, assistance with human resource management (staff development, recruitment and retention or succession planning) and business plan development.
 
The awarded grants include:
 

• $217,000 to Lincoln Heights HealthCare Connection (Contact: Dolores Lindsay at 513-588-3623)
• $127,500 to HealthPoint Family Care (Contact: Marc Bellisario at 859-655-6143)
• $55,500 to West End Health Center, Inc. (Contact: Wendell Walker at 513-621-2726)
• $39,250 to Butler County Community Health Consortium (Contact: Peg Hall at 513-425-8314)
• $29,500 to Northern Kentucky Independent Health District (Contact: Jill Sinclair Hopkins at 859-363-2005)
• $19,960 to Southern Ohio Health Services Network (Contact: Kimberly Patton at 513-576-7700)
   

 

The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati is an independent foundation dedicated to improving community health and access to health care for vulnerable populations. The Foundation awards grants to non-profit and governmental organizations for selected health programs and activities in Cincinnati and 20 surrounding counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. In 2003, the Health Foundation invested $9.3 million to support local health care programs that address the objectives of the Foundation's four focus areas and general community health.