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

DUBLIN, Ohio, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, it will award more than $1 million in grant funding to help U.S. hospitals, health systems and community health clinics improve the efficiency and quality of care.

Earlier this year, the Cardinal Health Foundation awarded grants to forty organizations in 25 states as part of its E3 Grant Program, which was launched in 2008 to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of health care, nationwide. Since the grant program's inception, the Cardinal Health Foundation has awarded 108 grants totaling more than $3 million.

2011 Cardinal Health E3 Grant Program applicants are encouraged to submit funding requests for projects that will improve medication safety (especially at transitions across the continuum of care) or for projects that will improve operating room (OR) safety.  

In addition to funding, this year's grant recipients will also receive guidance, technical support and individual assistance from medication safety experts from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and from OR safety and efficiency experts from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN).

"We are honored to continue working with the Cardinal Health Foundation, a trusted partner that is leading the way in improving medication safety across the continuum of care," said Karen Boudreau, senior vice president of IHI. "Transitions from one care setting to another are prime opportunities for miscommunication and medication errors.  Working together with the Cardinal Health Foundation and its grant recipients, we aim to harness best practices and design better systems to make medication management safer."

Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the IHI's web-based Improvement Map for best practice ideas for improving medication safety across transitions of care. Those interested in applying for grants to improve OR safety and efficiency should refer to the AORN Web site, aorn.org, for best practice ideas.  

"The Cardinal Health Foundation's E3 grants offer healthcare providers the opportunity to apply and share successful practices for improving operating room safety and efficiency," said Linda Groah, RN, MSN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, executive director and CEO of AORN. "AORN encourages health care providers to apply for these grants and we are pleased to provide guidance and technical assistance to the 2011 recipients of the E3 Grant Program."

Applications for E3 grants must be submitted on the Cardinal Health Web site at http://cardinalhealth.com/us/en/CommunityRelations/Apply/E3, by Dec. 3, 2010.

"The Cardinal Health Foundation is proud to partner this year with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses to provide our 2011 E3 Grant Program recipients with expertise and hands-on assistance to help them implement programs that can lead to direct and long-lasting improvements in health care efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality," said Shelley Bird, executive vice president of public affairs for Cardinal Health and chairperson of the Cardinal Health Foundation.  

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.

About Cardinal Health

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $99 billion health care services company that improves the cost-effectiveness of health care. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, improving efficiency and quality, and increasing profitability. Cardinal Health is an essential link in the health care supply chain, providing pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations each day. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products. In addition, the company supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation's largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #17 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 30,000 people worldwide. More information about the company may be found at cardinalhealth.com.

SOURCE Cardinal Health