June 24, 2016, Easton, MD—Quality Health Foundation (QHF), the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies (QHS), recently awarded grants totaling $400,000 to fifteen organizations in Maryland and Washington, DC supporting local healthcare-related quality improvement efforts.
Funding decisions for the 2016-2017 grants—ranging from $15,000 to $40,000—were determined by a project’s potential to impact access to quality healthcare and human services in the community. This year, QHF selected the awardees from 77 applicants that proposed a wide range of projects targeting uninsured and underinsured patients as well as underserved and at-risk populations.
“Our Board felt challenged this year with our grant selection,” said Dr. Molly Burgoyne, QHF Board of Directors Chair. “Many organizations submitted high-quality programs designed to improve the health of our most vulnerable populations.Ultimately, we chose a stellar group of programs covering a wide geographic area with diverse health concerns.We look forward to supporting these projects, learning from them, and analyzing their progress.” Dr. Catherine Smoot-Haselnus, QHS Board Chair, summed it up by saying,“We are delighted to fund these worthy organizations.Their work is perfectly aligned with our mission to improve the health status of individuals and communities.”
A grant of $25,000 provided to Access Carroll, Inc., a patient-centered and integrated medical home for low-income residents of Carroll County, will support the costs of the Pharmaceutical Management Program. This program focuses on addressing chronic disease treatment, prevention, maintenance, and education. The Pharmacy Manager supports the care team while navigating the complicated health care environment under the Affordable Care Act and secures medications free of charge from pharmaceutical companies for low-income, uninsured and underinsured Carroll County residents.
Aspire Counseling received $25,000 to provide on-site behavioral health services for low-income uninsured patients at the Mobile Medical Care primary care clinics in Montgomery County. QHF funding will support a Patient Care Monitor who will provide comprehensive case management and follow-up services to an additional 300 high-risk patients to ensure that they adhere to their treatment program.
Calvary Women’s Services offers housing, health, employment and education programs for women who are homeless in Washington, DC. QHF provided a grant of $25,000 for the Women’s Health Program which is designed to educate women on the physical and mental health issues they are facing, provide on-going support, and empower women to advocate for themselves as they work toward their personal health goals. Addiction recovery meetings and individual and group therapy sessions are offered on-site at the housing programs.
Pictured left to right are Delegate Johnny Mautz IV; Senator Adelaide Eckardt; Cathy Cassell, Program Director, Channel Marker; Paige Tilghman, Director, Talbot Office of Economic Development; Debbye Jackson, Executive Director, Channel Marker supporting Caroline, Dorchester and Talbot counties; Mary Burgoyne, MD, Chair, QHF; the Honorable Robert C. Willey, Mayor of Easton; and Catherine Smoot-Haselnus, MD, Chair, QHS Board of Directors.
QHF continued support for Channel Marker’s Health Home Program which provides mental health support to Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties. The $25,000 grant will provide additional Nurse Practitioner consultant hours and assist in paying for unreimbursed health home services. The main features of the health home model are comprehensive care management, comprehensive transitional care, individual and family support services, care coordination, health promotion and referral to community and social support services.
The Chesapeake College Foundation received a grant of $15,000 to support the development and implementation of a year-long Navigating Your Health workshop series which is targeted toward the aging population in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. The workshop series will use the resources and technology available at Chesapeake College’s new Health Professions and Athletics Center and experts in the healthcare field to empower the aging population and their caregivers as informed healthcare consumers.
Pictured left to right are Delegate John F. Mautz IV; Senator Addie Eckardt; Paige Tilghman, Director, Talbot Office of Economic Development; Elizabeth Devlin, Director of Grants, Chesapeake College Foundation; Crystel Farina, Director of Simulation for the Health Professions and Instructor of Nursing, Chesapeake College Foundation; Lucie Hughes, Executive Director, Chesapeake College Foundation; Mary Burgoyne, MD, Chair, QHF; the Honorable Robert C. Willey, Mayor of Easton; and Catherine Smoot-Haselnus, MD, Chair, QHS Board of Directors.
The Community Ministries of Rockville received $25,000 for its Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic which provides quality healthcare and healthcare education to Montgomery County’s low income uninsured and underinsured residents. The grant will fund a portion of staff costs to increase access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care, reaching underserved populations and improving dissemination of health information.
QHS awarded DeafMD a grant of $20,000 to begin the development of Pulmonary Health Education in American Sign Language. The programs will focus on smoking cessation, pneumonia and the importance of vaccination against pneumonia, and chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The grant will provide over 100,000 sign language dependent deaf individuals in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area with clear, concise, and accurate health education in their primary and preferred language of American Sign Language.
Help and Outreach Point of Entry received a grant of $40,000 to support the Adult Dental Health Ministry to the homeless and poor in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. The funds will be used to cover the administrative costs of the program as well as to pay for discounted dental care, bus tickets for transportation to appointments, and for prescription medicines.
Lutheran Social Services was awarded $30,000 for its Youth Haven Project which provides age appropriate health and wellness services to 90 children, teens, and adults living with or affected by HIV/AIDS related stigma throughout the National Capital Area. Youth Haven’s goals are to improve health management and life skill habits; build connections for trusting relationships; and increase opportunities for personal success. Through educational workshops, retreats, peer support, and mentorship, participants improve their emotional wellness and their healthy eating and nutritional habits.
The Maryland Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped (MFDH)was awarded $35,000 to support the Donated Dental Services Program that improves access to dental care by providing free dental services to low-income adults who are disabled by illness or injury. MFDH recruits dentists and dental laboratories and provides case management for the patients. In 2015, the organization delivered over $1.3 million in dental care to Maryland citizens.
An amount of $25,000 was awarded to the Mission of Mercy to support its Patient/Hospital Partnerships pilot program and its expansion to Baltimore and Carroll counties. The purpose of the program is to reduce hospital readmissions and improve health outcomes for uninsured or underinsured patients. QHF funds will be used for data collection and program evaluation.
Salisbury University received$40,000 for the Early Childhood Education and Outreach Project. This Project provides education and resource materials for families in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties surrounding perinatalmental health and wellness for new mothers and for young families. It also provides educational activities focused on children of incarcerated parents and children with developmental concerns. These educational activities will target caregivers, community members, and professionals. QHF funds will be used for a half-time program coordinator, training materials, facility event fees, and other costs associated with implementation of the project.
Samaritan House, a state-certified treatment facility located in Annapolis, received a $15,000 grant award. The organization serves adult men who have completed a detoxification program but are still recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. Services are provided in a 16-bed long-term residential program and a nine-bed transitional house for clients who wish to continue their treatment in a sober living facility. Every dollar invested in addiction treatment programs yields a savings of $4 to $7 in reduced drug-related crime, criminal justice costs, and theft. When savings related to healthcare are included, total saving can exceed costs by a ratio of 12 to 1.
QHS awarded a grant in the amount of $25,000 to the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts to support training of clinical healthcare providers and patients for the groundbreaking Patient-Provider Education Project. This project engages Washington, DC health providers with African-American breast cancer survivors to develop solutions for improving care in underserved communities fostering overall positive patient outcomes. Smith Center will conduct process and impact evaluations of each phase of the project to assess its value as a best-practice model for improving communication between African-Americans and health care providers thereby impacting adherence to cancer screening and treatment recommendations. QHF funding will support costs associated the development, implementation, and evaluation of the training.
The University of Maryland Medical System received the annual Goldgeier Awardof $30,000 for the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital Breathmobile Program. The Breathmobile provides free preventive care to high risk underserved children with asthma, resulting in improvement in asthma outcomes. These outcomes include decreased hospitalizations, decreased emergency department visits, increased use of preventive asthma treatments, improved asthma knowledge, improved school attendance and improved quality of life. QHF funds will be applied to the overall operations of the Breathmobile program.
Since 2006, Quality Health Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $4.1 million to 61 organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
About Quality Health Foundation
Quality Health Foundation, the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies, is a national not-for-profit organization that provides grants to charitable and not-for-profit organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia toward projects that help improve the healthcare and human services for individuals and communities. For more information, visit www.qualityhealthfoundation.org/.
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