Prevention, Health Advocacy and Patient Safety Also Addressed
MINNEAPOLIS, December 7, 2005 — The Medica Foundation made grants totaling nearly $1 million in its first funding cycle for 2005. Behavioral health programs were a major focus of the grants, with $350,000 going toward projects throughout Minnesota related to behavioral health care service interventions, accessibility and sustainability. Other areas of funding included projects that focus on prevention, health advocacy, patient safety and programs for Minnesota’s high risk and underserved populations as well as general health improvement.
A study by the Minnesota Department of Health found that there were 7.3 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people in rural Minnesota. The national average is 16 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. According to the study, doctors in rural Minnesota report a 60 percent increase in the proportion of patients presenting with behavioral health issues.
Many of the Medica Foundation behavioral health grants are geared toward programs designed to help integrate behavioral health into the primary care setting. In Blue Earth County, a $25,000 grant was provided to the Hearth Connection to solicit input from providers and the general public to identify best practices and effective interventions in caring for the homeless population.
Addressing behavioral health needs through a statewide initiative, the Medica Foundation provided a $90,000 grant to support New Connections for Community Mental Health, a program designed to provide Minnesotans with mental health services on-demand and in their own communities. It is a program of the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs, Inc.
“The Medica Foundation recognizes the need for behavioral health services throughout Minnesota,” said Rob Longendyke, executive director. “We are pleased to be able to provide this much needed funding and look forward to working with our partners on making improvements to access and continuity of these much needed services.”
The total amount of grants funded in each category was as follows:
|
Amount funded |
| Behavioral Health |
$350,000 |
| Prevention |
$241,910 |
| Health Advocacy |
$160,474 |
| Patient Safety |
$45,000 |
| Programs for high risk/underserved populations/general health improvement |
$173,750 |
About the Medica Foundation
The Medica Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable grant-making foundation and a sister organization to Medica Health Plans, a Minnesota-based nonprofit HMO. The Foundation generally seeks to fund community-based programs and initiatives that can provide sustainable, measurable improvements in the availability, access and quality of healthcare.
Email: foundation@medica.com; Phone: 952/992-2060
About Medica
Medica (www.medica.com) is Minnesota’s largest HMO, largest PPO and leading non-profit and independent provider of health plans. Medica has 1.2 million members and nearly 27,000 providers in a regional health care network service area that is available to 98 percent of Minnesotans and a growing number of adjoining counties in Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network.
Medica has the highest accreditation, Excellent, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA®) for the commercial health plans it provides to Minnesotans and North Dakotans and for Medicaid HMO plans. Medica’s vision is to become the community’s health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.
For more information, contact:
Greg Bury
Senior Communications Manager
Office: 952-992-8437
Cell: 612-810-4556
E-mail: greg.bury@medica.com
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