Cardinal Health Foundation Provides $1.2 Million in Grant Funding to Improve Patient Safety at the Point-of-Care

DUBLIN, Ohio, June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced the recipients of 39 grants, totaling nearly $1.2 million, to help U.S. hospitals, health systems and community health organizations improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of patient care.

The Cardinal Health E3 Grant Program awarded funding ranging from $10,000 to $42,000 to health care providers in 20 states.  For the second consecutive year, this competitive grant program specifically encouraged providers to submit funding requests for programs that seek to improve medication management or operating room safety.

As part of this program, the Cardinal Health Foundation also awarded scholarships to 55 health care professionals to attend professional development programs led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. These programs teach health care professionals how to create a culture of patient safety within their facilities.

"E3 Grant Program funding has been used by hundreds of health care organizations over the past three years to implement meaningful, long-term improvements in the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of the care they provide patients," said Shelley Bird, executive vice president of public affairs for Cardinal Health and chairperson of the Cardinal Health Foundation. "We commend each of this year's grant recipients for their commitment to implementing proven strategies that can improve patient care and save lives."

Organizations receiving funding from the 2011 Cardinal Health E3 Grant Program include:

• Advocate Health Care (Park Ridge, Ill.)
• Aurora Health Care, Inc. (Milwaukee, Wis.)
• Banner Health (Phoenix, Ariz.)
• Columbus Regional Hospital (Columbus, Ind.)
• CoxHealth (Springfield, Mo.)
• Culpeper Regional Hospital Foundation (Culpeper, Va.)
• East Orange General Hospital (East Orange, N.J.)
• Forsyth Medical Center Foundation (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
• Franklin Square Hospital Center (Baltimore, Md.)
• Greater Baltimore Medical Center (Baltimore, Md.)
• Hallmark Health System (Melrose, Mass.)
• Hospital Episcopal San Lucas Ponce (Ponce, Puerto Rico)
• Humility of Mary Health Partners (Youngstown, Ohio)
• Memorial Health University Medical Center (Savannah, Ga.)
• Meridian Health (Neptune, N.J.)
• Mission Healthcare Foundation (Asheville, N.C.)
• Montefiore (Bronx, N.Y.)
• Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio)
• Northern Michigan Regional Health System (Petoskey, Mich.)
• OhioHealth (Columbus, Ohio)
• Otsego Memorial Hospital (Gaylord, Mich.)
• PinnacleHealth System (Harrisburg, Pa.)
• Riddle Hospital, part of the Main Line Health System (Media, Pa.)
• Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Ill.)
• Saint Barnabas Health Care System Foundation (West Orange, N.J.)
• Southwest General Health Center (Middleburg Heights, Ohio)
• St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center (Paterson, N.J.)
• Swedish Covenant Hospital (Chicago, Ill.)
• Texas Center for Quality and Patient Safety (Austin, Texas)
• The Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio)
• The MetroHealth System (Cleveland, Ohio)
• The Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, Neb.)
• The University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora, Colo.)
• Trinity Medical Center (Rock Island, Ill.)
• USF Health BRIDGE Clinic (Tampa, Fla.)
• Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)
• Wellmont Health System (Kingsport, Tenn.)
• Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo (Buffalo, N.Y.)

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.

SOURCE Cardinal Health Foundation