Cambia Health Foundation Awards New Grants to Advance Palliative Care and Transform Health Care

Portland, Aug. 16, 2017 -- The Cambia Health Foundation has announced the newest round of grant recipients. Five non-profit organizations throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah were recently awarded over $3.2 million for innovative programs that advance palliative care, enhance the adoption of new technologies in rural communities, and pro-actively address mental and behavioral health for children.

“The Cambia Health Foundation is committed to serving as a catalyst to transform health care,” said Peggy Maguire, president and board chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “We are honored to support organizations that make health care better for consumers and improve the overall health of our communities.”

Listed below is a synopsis of the five organizations recently funded by the Cambia Health Foundation.

Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence at the University of Washington
The Center was granted $2,539,182 over three years to expand and leverage two of their nationally known bodies of work in palliative care: the Quality Metrics Program and the Cambia Palliative Care Training Center. The funding, which builds on the $10 million that the Cambia Health Foundation previously awarded to the Center, expands the effort to measure quality and train the palliative care workforce.

University of Utah
The University of Utah was granted $127,659 over two years to develop, implement and evaluate a telehealth grief support group for people in underserved rural communities. Of Utah’s 93 licensed hospice agencies, over 90 percent are located in the urban valley surrounding Salt Lake City and the metropolitan St. George area, with only eight hospice agencies serving rural communities. The grant allows the University to leverage the Utah Telehealth Network technology, and partner with three non-profit hospice organizations, to support service delivery for underserved rural populations.

SIRUM—Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine
SIRUM received $80,000 over 12 months to recycle unopened and unexpired medications that can then be donated. SIRUM is expanding its business model and is building regional hubs to create a direct-to-consumer service. Previously, SIRUM had operated based on a business-to-business model where health care institutions would donate their unused medicine for low-income patients. The new funding supports the development, launch and evaluation of a consumer and provider-facing brand.

Idaho Primary Care Association
The Idaho Primary Care Association was granted $334,800 over 18 months to increase access and improve health care outcomes for residents of Idaho through integration in the Patient Centered Medical Home primary care setting. Four health centers will pilot different models of oral health integration to determine feasibility in different medical settings and with different populations. Each health center pilot will utilize and evaluate best practices such as data capture and sharing across programs, cross training and improved integration of oral health and medical staff, and enhancement of basic dental screening in the medical setting.

National Children’s Alliance
The National Children’s Alliance was granted $199,335 over 18 months to implement the Child & Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) treatment program in Children’s Advocacy Centers in Utah and Idaho. The primary goal of this project is to provide training to at least 28 clinicians in four Utah sites and three Idaho sites in preventive behavioral health intervention. The grant will benefit at least 400 children and their caregivers who are being served by Utah’s children’s justice centers and Idaho’s child advocacy centers.

About Cambia Health Foundation
Based in Portland, Ore., Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate Foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming the way people experience health care. Founded in 2007, Cambia Health Foundation awards grants in three program areas: Sojourns (Palliative Care workforce and leadership development, quality, access and awareness), Transforming Health Care and Children’s Behavioral Health. The Foundation has funded over $51 million in grants to advance patient- and family-centered care for all. Learn more at www.cambiahealthfoundation.org, and follow us on Twitter: @CambiaHealthFdn.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/93597b00-5b1d-46d8-8a75-0cabbf04f01b

Rob Goodman
Cambia Health Foundation
5035531467
[email protected]