FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Further Information Contact:
Glennda MoragneEl
Quality Health Foundation Program Director
moragneelg@dfmc.org
410-872-9632

Quality Health Foundation Announces Call for Proposals
Grant-Giving Organization to Provide $300,000 in 2009 to Eligible Groups

Easton, MD, October 22, 2008 –The Quality Health Foundation (QHF), the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies Group, a national not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality of healthcare, announces a call for proposals for the 2009 grant cycle, which will award grants to eligible organizations that work to improve healthcare for individuals and communities through measurable outcome improvement projects.  In 2008, QHF awarded $300,000 to nine different organizations in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Various projects will be funded, including service demonstration programs producing high impact results on health outcomes.  Projects may directly impact the community or the project’s methods and results may be exportable to other organizations.  Applications for grants will be accepted from December 1, 2008 through January 17, 2009.  Grant applicants will be notified of their award status in June 2009.

"We were pleased by the scope of projects we were able to fund in 2008 and are certain that efforts by the grant recipients will have a measurable impact on the access to and quality of healthcare,” said Arnold Lerman, Chairman of the Quality Health Foundation's Board of Directors.  "We plan to again award grants up to $50,000 to recipients such as faith-based groups; health care providers; educational institutions; state and local government agencies; community based non-government organizations; and other organizations and individuals committed to improving access to quality health care.  We will prioritize funding based on a project's potential impact on healthcare improvements and access for individuals and communities."

Funding priorities for the 2009 grant cycle include:

• Improved treatment through the use of “best practices”
• Improved access to health care services
• Improved communication of health knowledge

Quality Health Strategies Group formed the Quality Health Foundation in 2003 in an effort to further their mission of improving healthcare in local communities.

"Quality Health Strategies Group works across the nation to help improve the quality of health care people receive. QHF was established to give back to the communities we collaborate with in our business contracts and further our mission by providing services others have not funded," stated Christian E. Jensen, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Quality Health Strategies Group. “We are looking forward to seeing what types of projects will be proposed for funding in the 2009 grant cycle.”

Applicants must be from Maryland, where the Delmarva Foundation for Medical Care (DFMC) is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Improvement Organization, (QIO) or from the District of Columbia, where the Delmarva Foundation of the District of Columbia (DFDC) is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Applications are available at www.qualityhealthfoundation.org. The deadline for 2009 proposals is January 17, 2009.

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About Quality Health Foundation
The Quality Health Foundation is the mission arm of Quality Health Strategies Group, a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving healthcare quality in over 30 states. Formed in 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.