GrantWatch Home

Archive for the 'Access' Category




Why a California Foundation Filed an Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court


February 1st, 2012
by Robert K. Ross

The head of one of the largest private foundations in the United States, the California Endowment, explains how it came to the decision to show its support for the constitutionality of the federal health reform act. Nearly everyone would agree that greater access to health care for all Californians is a good thing. As the [...]

A Foundation Leader Discusses Massachusetts Health Reform at the Five-Year Mark


January 26th, 2012
by Sarah Iselin

The president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts hits some of the highlights of a recent foundation-supported report on that state’s ongoing health reform effort. Call it what you like—“RomneyCare,” “ObamneyCare,” or plain old Massachusetts Health Reform—it’s working pretty much as intended, at a cost that’s within what was projected, and with [...]

Foundation Efforts to Meet the Demand for Primary Care


December 22nd, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

Foundations are funding efforts to inform policy makers and others about the status of primary care, to expand access to primary care, and more. The latest issue of Health Affairs contains a sampling of what philanthropy is doing. In case you missed it, read “Foundation Efforts to Meet Demand for Primary Care,” the GrantWatch column [...]

Grantmakers In Health Briefing on the Safety Net: Highlights from Presenters Ku and Siegel


November 10th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

Grantmakers In Health’s Fall Forum, held in Washington, DC, included a well-attended one-day issue dialogue on the health care safety net. Following are a few highlights from speakers’ remarks and the subsequent Q & A session. To start off the day, well-known analysts Leighton Ku of the George Washington University (GWU) and Bruce Siegel of [...]

New Health Affairs Issue Includes Article on Oral Health Care of Children


November 9th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

More and more foundations, it seems, are interested in oral health these days. The topic generated some buzz at a Grantmakers In Health meeting earlier this month, I noticed. The November issue of Health Affairs, just released this week, has a peer-reviewed GrantWatch paper on oral health care for children. Its abstract is free to [...]

Health Reform: It’s about a Vision for Each State


October 3rd, 2011
by Kim VanPelt

GrantWatch Blog asked Kim VanPelt of St. Luke’s Health Initiatives (SLHI) to report on that foundation’s “Keys to Success” forum, held in mid-September in Phoenix, Arizona. The forum’s goal was to discuss the critical issues involved in creating an Arizona health insurance exchange. A public foundation, SLHI primarily works in Maricopa County (the Phoenix metropolitan [...]

An Accountable Care Community in Akron, Ohio: Collaborating to Create a Healthier Future


August 23rd, 2011
by Janine Janosky

Editor’s note: You’ve heard of an Accountable Care Organization, haven’t you? Now read about a new initiative—an Accountable Care Community—in this northeastern Ohio city. In response to chronic health conditions, the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA), its founding members, and numerous community organizations have joined to launch a first-of-its-kind Accountable Care Community, which will use [...]

Foundation Blogs Round-up: Safety Net, Global Health, Health Reform, Children, & More


July 6th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

GrantWatch Blog has been on its Fourth of July break. Below, in this post-holiday edition I’ve gathered links to several blog posts that you may want to add to your reading list. Global Health Malaria: “Saving Lives: When the Impossible Becomes Possible,” Alexandra Farnum on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Foundation Blog, June 24. In this [...]

What Are Foundations and Others Doing to Help Veterans, Service Members, and Their Families?


June 13th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

News coverage around the recent Memorial Day holiday reminded us of the sacrifices veterans have made. Here is just a sampling of what foundations are doing to help them, our military, and their families. Recent grant: “Through a Welcome Back Veterans Grant, Emory and Atlanta Braves to Launch BraveHeart: Welcome Back Veterans Southeast Initiative on Memorial Day,” [...]

Fostering Productive Dialogue on Health Reform Implementation


May 19th, 2011
by Catherine Hess

Catherine Hess of the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) reports on how foundations are supporting efforts to foster dialogue between states and stakeholders during implementation of health reform. Facts, not ideology, should ground discussions was among the lessons learned at a meeting of state officials and advocates in southern states. Even in political [...]

The Three Most-Read GrantWatch Blog Posts during April 2011


May 11th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

We list below the three most-read posts during the month. Take a look in case you missed one of these when the original tweet or e-alert went out. 1. “Foundation Blogs Round-up: Community Clinics, Health Reform, Health IT, & More,” by Lee-Lee Prina (March 31). First on the most-read list during April was a selected [...]

Foundation Blogs Round-up: Community Clinics, Health Reform, Health IT, & More


March 31st, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

Here’s another quick listing of recent foundation-related blog posts that you may want to check out. Community Clinics “Clinics Get Boost from Foundation,” Daniel Weintraub, in California Health Report, Mar. 16. In this blog, part of HealthyCal.org (a nonprofit journalism project funded by the California Endowment), Weintraub writes about the recent $7 million that the [...]

Foundation Blogs Round-up: Health Reform, Disparities, Global Health, Obesity, and More


February 17th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

As my work week draws to a close, I have put together a quick listing of some foundation-related posts that I think you might want to check out. If your foundation has a blog about health care and it is not listed on GrantWatch Blog’s Blogroll, let me know about it! Disparities in Health: “Poll [...]

Update on What Foundations Have Been Doing in Oral Health Care


January 27th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

Use of fluoride is known to reduce tooth decay. Earlier this month, the federal government announced plans to lower the amount of fluoride in water because of concerns that some children were receiving too much of it. This prompted me to revisit the subject of oral health and what some foundations around the country have [...]

Mental Health Care: What Have Foundations Been Funding in This Area?


January 13th, 2011
by Lee-Lee Prina

Mental illness has been on the minds of many people this week, after the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday. A University of Virginia forensic clinical psychologist and professor says in a CNN.com opinion piece this week, “The rampage shooting in Arizona is another anguishing reminder that mental health is the weakest link in our [...]

Opportunity Knocking: Under Health Reform, Foundations Can Help Increase Access to Care


December 13th, 2010
by Paul Gionfriddo

More than 30 million uninsured people will acquire either public or private insurance over the next five years as a result of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. What does this mean for foundations promoting healthier communities by investing in increased access to health care? In short, it means new opportunities, especially for foundations that [...]

California HealthCare Foundation Announces It Will Provide $10 Million in PRI Capital through New Fund; Proposals Sought


November 12th, 2010
by Lee-Lee Prina

The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), based in Oakland, announced its Health Innovation Fund on November 8. The total amount of money alone that has been allocated for this investment fund will attract notice. And what is also interesting is that this fund allows both nonprofits and for-profit companies to apply for money. The CHCF Health Innovation Fund [...]

Foundations’ Use of Social Media; What Your Local Blues Foundation Has Been Working On


September 17th, 2010
by Lee-Lee Prina

The Foundation Center has just released a short publication on grantmakers’ use of social media, including blogs. (I include here some examples of posts by foundation presidents that have appeared in recent months on the GrantWatch Blog. Subjects range from health reform to HIV/AIDS to smoking prevention.) Also recently released is a report on what [...]

Hurricanes’ Effects on Health Care and What Foundations Are Funding in Louisiana


August 31st, 2010
by Lee-Lee Prina

As the media have been reporting on New Orleans at the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it is also an opportune time for the GrantWatch Blog to report on how foundations have been helping in the Crescent City and surrounding area. Foundations have awarded grants to inform the general public about the status of New Orleans, [...]

Helping to Define Health Philanthropy’s Role in the Implementation of Health Reform


August 12th, 2010
 
by Lauren LeRoy and Osula Rushing

Two weeks ago, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) joined with the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, California HealthCare Foundation, and Commonwealth Fund to sponsor a discussion among funders about the roles that state and local health foundations can play in advancing health reform. The night before the meeting, surgeon and writer Atul Gawande set the stage for the [...]

GrantWatch RSS Feed
Sign up for bimonthly GrantWatch alerts.