Cardinal Health Establishes $1 Million Grant Fund for Initiatives That Improve Quality, Safety of Patient Care

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Cardinal Health Establishes $1 Million Grant Fund for Initiatives That Improve Quality, Safety of Patient Care
        New Fund is Largest and First of its Kind in Private Sector

    DUBLIN, Ohio, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- To support initiatives
that enhance patient safety and quality of care, Cardinal Health announced
today it is granting up to $1 million to fund new and innovative programs
at hospitals, health systems and community health clinics across the
country. This grant is the largest and first of its kind given by a
health-care company.
    Grants of up to $50,000 will provide funding for programs that
establish or implement creative and replicable methods to address
challenges in providing quality patient care and to help drive
improvements.
    According to reports and research published by the Institute of
Medicine (IOM), health care in the United States is not as safe as it
should be -- and can be. At least 44,000 people -- and perhaps as many as
98,000 people -- die in hospitals each year as a result of preventable
medical errors.
    "The health-care community is keenly aware of the need to improve
quality and patient safety," said R. Kerry Clark, Cardinal Health's CEO.
"We see these grants as an opportunity to provide health-care organizations
with additional resources to drive measurable improvements. We hope that
our efforts will help hospitals make meaningful progress in this important
endeavor."
    In addition to the primary award criteria related to patient safety,
programs can also be intended for operational or performance improvement,
providing there is a strong impact on patient safety measures. Cardinal
Health's selection committee will look for:
    - projects that respond to a clearly identified, high priority safety
      issue
    - projects that apply new thinking and approaches to development of
      solutions
    - collaborative programs
    - demonstrable and sustainable measures to assure that improvements hold
      up over time
    - model programs that can be replicated at other organizations
    To be eligible for funding, facilities must be designated as 501(c)(3)
by the IRS and submit a letter of intent to submit a proposal by October
12, 2007. Applicants are encouraged to be financially invested in the
program through either operating support or in-kind contributions of time
and materials. Grants will be announced and awarded in March 2008.
    In addition to the corporate commitment to patient safety, the Cardinal
Health Foundation has provided more than $10 million for significant
health- care initiatives since its inception in 2002. Many of these have a
special focus on patient safety including:
    - Serving as a lead sponsor for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's
      100,000 Lives and 5 Million Lives Campaigns.
    - Funding important patient safety initiatives in partnership with leading
      national and regional organizations, such as the National Quality Forum,
      the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Maryland
      Patient Safety Center.
    - Development of a national poison prevention campaign focused on
      medication safety in partnership with SafeKids Worldwide.
    About Cardinal Health
    Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is an
$87 billion, global company serving the health-care industry with products
and services that help hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies reduce
costs, improve safety, productivity and profitability, and deliver better
care to patients. With a focus on making supply chains more efficient,
reducing hospital-acquired infections and breaking the cycle of harmful
medication errors, Cardinal Health develops market-leading technologies,
including Alaris(R) IV pumps, Pyxis(R) automated dispensing systems,
MedMined(TM) electronic infection surveillance, VIASYS(R) respiratory care
products and the CareFusion(TM) patient identification system. The company
also manufactures medical and surgical products and is one of the largest
distributors of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies worldwide. Ranked No.
19 on the Fortune 500 and No. 1 in its sector on Fortune's ranking of Most
Admired firms, Cardinal Health employs more than 40,000 people on five
continents. More information about the company may be found at
http://www.cardinalhealth.com.
SOURCE Cardinal Health
http://www.cardinalhealth.com
CONTACT:
Donna Gaidamak, +1-847-578-4434,
donna.gaidamak@cardinalhealth.com