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Megan Kelley
Communications Specialist
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kelleym@dfmc.org

Columbia Road Health Services Receives $50,000 Grant
from Quality Health Foundation to Support Diabetes Health Disparities

Columbia, Maryland – July 2, 2008 –The Quality Health Foundation, the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies, announced today a grant in the amount of $50,000 to Columbia Road Health Services (CRHS), a non-profit community health center that takes a comprehensive approach to health and healing. 

The funding will support the Diabetes Health Disparities Collaborative (HDC) initiative, a national model designed to promote quality care in low-income communities across the country.  The HDC initiative emphasizes the utilization of best practice standards, a team approach by providers, patient education and self-management, measurable outcomes and community collaboration to serve the estimated 17,000 patients visits CRHS will receive in 2008. 

“At Columbia Road Health Services, we believe we are providing some of the highest quality care available anywhere in the region to some of the its most disadvantaged residents,” commented Anton Vroon, MD, MSW, Chief Executive Officer, CRHS.  “We are excited to have the Quality Health Foundation join us in this important endeavor.”

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.

“We at the Quality Health Foundation are happy to be partnering with Columbia Road Health Services to directly improve the health and well being of the those dealing with diabetes,” said Sheldon Goldgeier, MD, Chairman of the Quality Health Foundation Board of Directors.

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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.