Cardinal Health Foundation Invites Health Care Providers to Apply for $1 Million in Grants to Improve Patient Safety, Efficiency

DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced that, for the fifth consecutive year, it will award more than $1 million in grant funding to help U.S. hospitals, health systems, community health clinics and other non-profit healthcare institutions improve the efficiency and quality of patient care.

Since the inception of the E3 Grant Program in 2008, the Cardinal Health Foundation has awarded 147 grants totaling more than $4.25 million to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of health care, nationwide.

Cardinal Health Foundation E3 Grant Program applicants are encouraged to submit funding requests for projects that will improve medication safety, particularly as patients move from hospital environments to home and other healthcare settings; or for projects that will improve operating room (OR) safety through the use of World Health Organization Surgical Safety checklists.  These checklists have been proven to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality by providing a list of patient safety activities that must be completed by a surgery team before proceeding with a medical procedure.

In addition to receiving funding, grantees working on surgical errors will have access to coaching support from members of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Grantees working on medication safety projects will have access to coaching and support from hospital pharmacy experts from the Cardinal Health Pharmacy Solutions team, who each year help hundreds of hospitals across the country implement best practices related to medication safety and other hospital pharmacy initiatives.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Web-based Improvement Map for best practice ideas for improving medication safety. Those interested in applying for grants to improve OR safety should refer to the AORN Web site for best practice ideas. Prospective grantees may also find summaries from successful E3 Grant Program proposals on the Cardinal Health Web site.  

Applications for E3 grants must be submitted on the Cardinal Health Web site by Dec. 2, 2011.

"These grants have already helped hundreds of healthcare providers across the United States implement best practices that have protected thousands of patients from avoidable harm while saving millions of dollars in healthcare costs," said Dianne Radigan, director of Community Relations for Cardinal Health.  "We are so encouraged by the outcomes achieved by the organizations that have participated in this grant program over the past three years and are pleased to once again provide funding support to help an expanding network of hospitals and health clinics work together to improve the effectiveness, excellence and efficiency of patient care."

The Cardinal Health Foundation will also host two webinars – on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19 at 2:30 EDT – to review program criteria and provide prospective grantees the opportunity to ask questions about the E3 Grant Program application process. Those wishing to participate in either webinar may dial 866.692.5721 and dial the access code 4157418  to hear the audio portion of the presentation. To access the visual portion of Oct. 18 webinar, please visit http://bit.ly/r0wiRQ and dial the meeting passcode 1715. To access the visual portion of the Oct. 19 webinar, please visit http://bit.ly/mUBPAK and dial the meeting passcode 1715.

About the Cardinal Health Foundation

The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care quality and build healthy communities. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage employee service to the community and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster. To learn more, visit cardinalhealth.com/community and Facebook.com/CardinalHealthFoundation.

SOURCE Cardinal Health