DUBLIN, Ohio, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Cardinal Health
Foundation today announced that for the second year, it will award more
than $1 million in funding to help U.S. hospitals, health systems and
community health clinics improve patient safety and health care quality.
Cardinal Health launched its Patient Safety Grant Program in August
2007 as the first and largest fund of its kind in the private sector, and
received applications from more than 10 percent of U.S. hospitals. In the
program's inaugural year, the company awarded grants totaling $1 million to
new and innovative programs at 34 hospitals, health systems and clinics,
nationwide.
Again this year, the Cardinal Health Foundation plans to award grants
ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to programs that improve the quality and
safety of patient care, with priority consideration being given to programs
that reduce hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and improve medication
safety.
"We believe that by taking a zero tolerance approach to medical errors,
we can dramatically improve health care quality while also removing
considerable, avoidable costs from the health care system," said R. Kerry
Clark, chairman and CEO of Cardinal Health. "The goal of the Patient Safety
Grant Program is to encourage health care leaders to take immediate action
to implement collaborative, long-term, results-oriented initiatives to
eliminate medication errors and preventable infections."
Applicants are encouraged to:
-- Clearly identify the high-priority safety issue that the program will
address;
-- Secure significant involvement and support from the applicant
organization's senior-most leadership;
-- Demonstrate how the applicant's organization is financially invested in
the program, through operating support or in-kind contributions of time
and materials;
-- Incorporate nationally determined best practices into their proposals;
-- Focus on collaboration by involving multiple groups within the
applicant's organization, its community and other health care
organizations;
-- Include clear measures to assure that improvements can be sustained
over time;
-- Develop programs that can be replicated at other organizations; and
-- Address at least one of the National Quality Forum's seven priority
areas, which include: patient and family engagement, population health,
safety, palliative care, care coordination, patient-focused care and
overuse. More information about the seven priority areas can be found
at: http://www.qualityforum.org/about/NPP/assets/NPP_Goals_07_03_08.pdf
To be eligible for funding, facilities must be designated as 501(c)(3)
by the Internal Revenue Service and submit a letter of intent by Oct. 31,
2008, at http://www.CardinalHealth.com/community. Full proposals, for those
selected to apply, will be due Feb. 20, 2009 and grants will be announced
and awarded in Spring 2009.
About Cardinal Health
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a
$91 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) infection surveillance services 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, 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, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.cardinalhealth.com
CONTACT:
Media: Tara Schumacher, +1-614-757-6250,
tara.schumacher@cardinal.com, or Investors: Jon Lyons,
+1-614-757-3996, Jon.lyons@cardinal.com
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