April 11, 2008 - To support initiatives to enhance patient safety and quality of care, Cardinal Health yesterday awarded $1 million in grants for new, innovative programs at 34 hospitals, health systems and community health clinics across the country.
Grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 will provide funding for programs that implement creative and replicable methods to improve the quality of patient care. Initiatives that received funding include a regional, collaborative program to reduce Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in New Mexico. There is an initiative to create the largest national clinical outcomes database to define, measure and benchmark the highest standards of practice in anesthesiology. A hospital in New Jersey was also awarded a grant for using pre-labeled and pre-filled insulin pens to reduce errors in insulin administration.
More than 10 percent (700 organizations) of the nation’s hospitals applied for the grants. In choosing recipients, Cardinal Health looked for projects that respond to a clearly identified, high priority safety issue; collaborative programs; projects that apply new thinking and approaches to development of solutions; model programs that can be replicated at other organizations and demonstrable and sustainable measures to ensure that improvements last over time.
According to the Institute of Medicine, medication mistakes injure more than 1.5 million patients each year, causing nearly 100,000 deaths and costing the healthcare industry more than $3.5 billion. The 34 grant recipients are tackling these and other quality issues to improve patient safety.
Patient Safety Grant recipients include:
Avera McKenna Hospital & University Health Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Cambridge Health Alliance, Boston
Catholic Healthcare Partners, Cincinnati
Children’s Hospital Central California, Madera, CA
Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Wayne State University, Detroit
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Community Hospitals of Central California Foundation, Fresno, CA
DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa, AL
Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA
Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, MD
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Indianapolis Health Information Exchange
Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Fort Myers, FL
Mackinac Straits Hospital and Health Center, St. Ignace, MI
Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation, Columbus, OH
New York Presbyterian Hospital, NY
North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System, Great Neck, NY
Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, Bronx, NY
Palomar Pomerado North County Health Development, Escondido, CA
Providence Hospital, Mobile, AL
Rady Children's Hospital & Health Center, San Diego
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Foundation, San Jose, CA
Sunrise Community Health, Evans, CO
University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas
University of California, San Diego
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM
Wellmont Health System, Kingsport, TN
Whidbey General Hospital Foundation, Whidbey Island, WA
For more information: www.cardinalhealth.com