Regence Foundation Announces Largest Set of Quarterly Grant Awards in Its History

Regence Foundation Announces Largest Set of Quarterly Grant Awards in Its
History
$405,000 to nonprofits breaking down barriers to health care

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Regence Foundation announced nearly
$405,000 in grants to Northwest and Utah nonprofits - its largest set of
quarterly grant awards since the Foundation launched early in 2008. The grants
are to nonprofits working on key public health issues and breaking down
barriers to care. The Foundation also awarded its first Sojourns palliative
care grant.

"The Regence Foundation believes that access to quality, affordable care is
the key to a healthy community," said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation
board chair. "As a Foundation that is part of a health insurance company, it's
our responsibility and commitment to the community to support nonprofits
working to get people the care they need and bringing attention to key health
issues."

-- Pacific University (Forest Grove, OR): $94,000 to open an
Interdisciplinary Diabetes Clinic at the university's Health
Professions
Campus in Hillsboro. As a safety net clinic, it will be open to anyone
with diabetes, but its focus will be on providing affordable care to
Latinos with diabetes.
-- Northeast Oregon Network (NEON) (La Grande, OR): $65,000 to extend the
reach of its Covering Kids and Families Program. The program connects
uninsured individuals and their families to health coverage. With this
grant, NEON will help new enrollees find a primary care medical home.
Currently, up to half of new enrollees do not have an existing
relationship with a health care provider.
-- Alliance Community Services (Salt Lake City, UT): $65,200 for
educational seminars to encourage healthy lifestyles and promote the
recognition of obesity as a major public health concern in the Utah
Latino community. According to the Utah Health Department, about 66
percent of Latino adults in Utah are overweight.
-- Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation (Portland, OR): $52,150 in
support of the hospital's Bridges pediatric palliative care program.
The
grant will be used to survey pediatric palliative care training needs
among community hospice nurses throughout Oregon and Southwest
Washington and develop a pediatric hospice training curriculum and
DVD.
This is The Regence Foundation's first Sojourns palliative care grant.
-- Washington Health Foundation (Seattle, WA): $48,500 for the Healthiest
State Campaign to improve the health of 18-24 year old undergraduates
in
Washington State four-year colleges and universities. The grant is
geared toward helping students learn how to access health care while
enrolled in college and practice preventive health behaviors.
-- Community Services Northwest (Vancouver, WA): $30,000 to hire a
volunteer coordinator for its Wellness Project, the only free mental
health clinic in the Northwest, and one of the few in the nation.
Hiring
a volunteer coordinator to recruit, train and supervise volunteer
counselors will ultimately help the Wellness Project increase the
number
of clients it serves. Currently, it has a waiting list for care.

-- Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital (Yakima, WA): $50,000 to hire
bilingual
health educators for "Tomando Control de su Salud," a chronic disease
self management program for Spanish-speaking patients. Through
educational workshops, the program helps Latinos with chronic diseases
learn more about their condition and better manage their symptoms.

"In funding these seven projects, The Regence Foundation identified and
partnered with innovative nonprofits who are tackling complex health care
problems with resourceful methods," said Monique Barton, Regence Foundation
executive director. "That's something we're proud to be a part of in our
communities."

Several of these grants were awarded through The Regence Fund at The Oregon
Community Foundation.

About The Regence Foundation
The Regence Foundation is the corporate foundation of Regence, the largest
health insurer in the Northwest/Intermountain region and a nonprofit
independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. A 501(c)3
grantmaking organization, the Foundation partners with organizations driving
significant change in health care delivery and accessibility in Idaho, Oregon,
Utah and Washington. Through its Sojourns program, the Foundation also
supports organizations advancing quality palliative and end-of-life care. For
more information, visit www.RegenceFoundation.org or
www.twitter.com/RegenceGives.

SOURCE The Regence Foundation

Joanna Burke of The Regence Foundation, +1-503-225-6860, jcburke@regence.com