Quality Health Foundation Awards Grants

For Immediate Release
Contact: Glennda MoragneEl
Program Director
410-872-9632
moragneelg@delmarvafoundation.org

Local charitable organizations receive funds to improve healthcare

June 20, 2013, Easton, MD – Quality Health Foundation (QHF), the charitable branch of Quality Health Strategies (QHS), recently awarded grants totaling $350,200 to ten organizations across the State of Maryland that support local healthcare-related quality improvement efforts.

Funding decisions for the 2013-2014 grants, which range from $10,000 to $50,000, were determined by a project’s potential to impact access to quality healthcare and human services, particularly among area underserved populations. This year’s awardees were selected from approximately 45 charitable, not-for-profit applicants.

“We are pleased to single out these organizations for their important quality improvement initiatives,” said Brenda Crabbs, Chair of the QHF Board of Directors. “Their work is perfectly aligned with our mission to improve the health status of individuals and communities. Although the amounts may seem modest, the impact can be great for these ten charitable organizations.”

A grant of $50,000 to Access Carroll, Inc., a full-time safety-net provider in Carroll County, will support costs for a pharmacy manager, who will work to provide meds at no-cost to low-income and uninsured residents with chronic diseases. During this grant cycle alone, this individual will secure more than $1 million in medications from pharmaceutical companies.

Channel Marker, Inc., a mental health support agency serving Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties, was awarded $40,000 to expand its Client Wellness Program. A care manager will work with the clients to emphasize health promotion, illness prevention and prevention practices.

Also on the Eastern Shore, the Dragonfly Heart Camp, has played a major role in proving a camping experience to heart and lung transplant recipients and children with pulmonary hypertension. A grant of $30,000 was provided for the Youth Transition Weekend Retreat which will focus on encouraging teenage and young adult participants to accept opportunities to try new things that promote internal growth and to assume responsibility for their healthcare, and medication compliance.

A grant of $50,000 was awarded to the Frederick County Hepatitis Clinic, Inc. for its Patient Screening, Evaluation and Treatment Program. Services are provided free of charge to uninsured, under-insured and working poor individuals infected with viral hepatitis.

For Help and Outreach Point of Entry in Salisbury, Maryland, $50,000 will support the Health Outreach Program which will serve approximately 1,500 to 2,500 clients who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The organization attends to the social and medical needs of their clients, and operates a clinic that provides flu shots, tuberculosis testing, and blood pressure screening.

For the past six years, Hope Connections for Cancer Support in Bethesda, Maryland has helped people with cancer and their loved ones deal with the emotional and physical impact of cancer through professionally facilitated programs of emotional support, education, wellness and hope – all provided free of charge. A grant of $20,200 will provide support group services for approximately 510 visits with professional therapists (that would cost approximately $68,850 if patients had to visit a private therapist).

Light House, a homeless prevention support center located in Annapolis, Maryland, was awarded $10,000 to fund the Prescription Assistance Component of the Health Assistance Program. The funds will pay for prescription medications while clients work with case managers to enroll in Medicaid programs.

The Maryland Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped will receive $50,000 to support the Donated Dental Services Program, which provides pro bono dental care for indigent, disabled Maryland residents. Approximately 660 patients will receive dental care worth approximately $1.2 million dollars. For every dollar invested in the program, patients receive over $7 in donated dental services.

The Ride Partners Program of Partners in Care Maryland, Inc. has been critical to the provision of access to health care for frail, older adults. Volunteers use their own cars to provide approximately 8,600 no-monetary-cost rides for trips to the doctor, hospitals, pharmacies and other destinations in Talbot, Anne Arundel, Frederick, and Calvert counties.

A grant of $30,000 to Shepherd’s Clinic will support the salary of a Nurse Practitioner to expand the hours of the walk-in/open clinic. The volunteer-driven Shepherd’s Clinic provides Baltimore City’s uninsured people with comprehensive health care, including cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, gynecology, diabetic nutrition, internal medicine, physical therapy, podiatry and psychiatric care.

Since 2006, Quality Health Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $2.65 million to 49 organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia.