FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Megan Kelley
Communications Specialist
410-872-9697
kelleym@dfmc.org

Access Carroll, Inc. Receives $47,000 Grant
from the Quality Health Foundation to Expand Health Services
to the Uninsured Population of Carroll County

Columbia, Maryland – July 2, 2008 –The Quality Health Foundation, the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies, announced today a grant in the amount of $47,000 to Access Carroll, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the pathways to primary health care for Carroll County residents who are uninsured or underinsured, are at or below 200% of the poverty level, and who lack a primary health care “home”. 

The grant funding will enable Access Carroll, Inc. to continue to expand services to uninsured populations while specifically studying health improvement outcomes of patients diagnosed with pre-diabetes and diabetes mellitus.  A majority of the grant will be used to fund a fulltime medication coordinator, who will manage medication acquisitions and conduct a research study on health improvement interventions and their associated outcomes for the uninsured low-income patients diagnosed with diabetes.

“Access Carroll, Inc. strives to become a health care home for patients who are unable to receive timely, appropriate and consistent treatments,” said Tammy Black, RN, BSN, Executive Director, Access Carroll, Inc.  “Through this grant, we are able to provide coordinated and comprehensive care with evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.”

The Quality Health Foundation was formed in May 2003 out of funds from Quality Health Strategies, an Easton-based not-for-profit quality improvement organization with more than 30 years experience in conducting and evaluating health care quality improvement initiatives.  The mission of the Quality Health Foundation is to provide charitable organizations that wish to undertake improvement projects with funding based on the project’s potential to impact access to and quality of healthcare to individuals and communities.

“The Quality Health Foundation is excited to continue its partnership with Access Carroll, Inc. to provide primary care to the underserved population of Carroll County,” said Sheldon Goldgeier, MD, Chairman of the Quality Health Foundation Board of Directors.

Media Note: High resolution images of the award recipients are available up request.

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About Quality Health Foundation
The Quality Health Foundation is the mission arm of the Quality Health Strategies, a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in 26 states.  Formed in May 2003, the mission of the Quality Health Foundation is to improve the health of individuals and communities.  To achieve this goal, we provide modest charitable grants to organizations that wish to undertake improvement projects to impact access to and quality of healthcare and human services to individuals and communities.  For more information, please visit the Quality Health Foundation on the web at www.qualityhealthfoundation.org.