CVS Health Foundation $5 Million Community Health Investment Improves Access, Affordability

55 new grant recipients announced in partnership with Free and Charitable Clinics, School-Based Health Centers and Community Health Centers

Data shows partnership grants to date have already increased access to care, improved care coordination for patients and resulted in better management of chronic diseases

News provided by

CVS Health Foundation

Apr 07, 2015, 08:30 ET

WOONSOCKET, R.I., April 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The CVS Health Foundation, a private foundation created by CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS), today announced 55 new grant recipients as part of its multi-year, $5 million commitment to increase access to health care in communities nationwide. The grants were awarded through the CVS Health Foundation's partnerships with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics (NAFC), the School-Based Health Alliance and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC). The Foundation is also announcing new data which illustrates that grants previously awarded through these partnerships are already making a measurable difference to meet community health needs.

"As a pharmacy innovation company, we are committed to addressing the need for more accessible, coordinated health care in our local communities," said Eileen Howard Boone, President of the CVS Health Foundation. "Through our partnership with leading community health organizations, we've been able to make meaningful progress toward improving care coordination, better managing chronic conditions and increasing access to care. We are excited to announce new grant recipients whose dedicated work will help us continue to support unique approaches and models needed to improve outcomes and lower health care costs."

Through its multi-year commitment, the Foundation has already supported nearly 150 community health organizations nationwide that share its purpose of helping people on their path to better health. New data from the results of these partnerships demonstrates this investment is already increasing access to affordable care, better coordinating care for patients and improving chronic disease management and prevention, including helping people quit smoking.

INCREASED ACCESS TO CARE

Grants awarded in partnership with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics have allowed grantees to increase operating hours and the number of patient visits, resulting in a decrease in the number of emergency room visits and improved patient compliance. For example, the Lake County Free Clinic in Painesville, Ohio reduced their patient appointment wait time from 30 days to 19 days on average. For the first time in recent years, the Family Care Health Center in St. Louis, Missouri increased the number of patients it serves. And, Family Health Centers of San Diego designed the Students and Engaged Parents for Health program, which has already helped more than 600 students and their parents learn about healthy habits, nutrition and how to access local health and social services resources.

IMPROVED CARE COORDINATION

Working with grantees to better coordinate care can reduce health care costs and improve outcomes for patients. For example, in Massachusetts, the MetroWest Free Medical Program provided more intensive and coordinated health education to nearly 460 patients as well as follow-up care for 163 patients, which helped 92 percent of those follow-up patients improve their medication adherence. The St. Thomas Clinic in Franklin, Indiana, was able to improve compliance with hospital discharge instructions from 33 percent prior to the Coordinator of Care program, to 77 percent in 2014. And school-based health grant recipients have developed, maintained and strengthened more than 125 partnerships with community and service providers to help better serve youth with more complex needs. For example, Project Vida in El Paso, Texas has established partnerships with organizations such as Women's Health Center and Texas Tech University to offer their smoking cessation programs to teens and adults that are current clients of these organizations.

CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION

The Foundation's investment has helped patients manage and prevent chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and asthma, helping them stay healthier and reduce avoidable health care expenses across the system. For example, at the St. Petersburg Free Clinic in Florida, 88 percent of new diabetic education patients showed improvement in a post-class evaluation, surpassing the program's improvement goal by 22 percent. In North Carolina, the Charlotte Community Health Clinic (CCHC) has strengthened the connection between the clinic and patients referred to the ER, resulting in patients using the emergency room 47 percent less than they did prior to becoming CCHC patients. And, 47 percent of patients of The Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester, Massachusetts who identify as smokers participated in a smoking cessation program.

2015 GRANT RECIPEINTS

The CVS Health Foundation also awarded new grants today as a continuation of these critical community health partnerships. Together with the School-Based Health Alliance and the "New Directions for School-Based Health Care" program, grantees will expand access to medical care, support innovative technology use and provide smoking cessation programs. Grants awarded in partnership with the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics will focus on providing primary care services to underserved populations. And, grants awarded in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers and the "Innovations in Community Health" program will support the development of innovative, community-based programs that focus on the treatment and management of chronic illnesses. This year, NACHC is also celebrating 50 years since the establishment of America's first community health centers and their success in expanding access to quality and affordable primary and preventive health care services to millions of uninsured and medically underserved people nationwide. New 2015 grant recipients follow here.

ARIZONA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
St. Vincent de Paul Virginia G. Piper Medical & Dental Clinic (Phoenix, AZ), in support of a dental program for adults that will identify patients with, or at risk for, diabetes

CALIFORNIA
School-Based Health Alliance
Family Health Centers of San Diego (San Diego, CA), in support of a program focused on youth and adult health education

National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Westminster Free Clinic (Oak Park, CA), in support of a chronic disease management and education program that treats patients with hypertension, heart disease and type 2 diabetes

South Bay Community Free Clinic and California State University San Marcos School of Nursing Student Healthcare Project (San Diego, CA), in support of a new clinic that provides health care services to individuals who would not receive care otherwise

Free Clinic of Simi Valley (Simi Valley, CA), in support of an "Ask a Nurse" program that allows access and coordination of care through a telephone triage nurse who provides consultations, education and emotional support

National Association of Community Health Centers
LifeLong Medical Care (Berkeley, CA), in support of a diabetes panel management program

Northeast Valley Health Corporation (San Fernando, CA), in support of an innovative program that treats patients with asthma

CONNECTICUT
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Malta House of Care, Inc. (Hartford, CT), in support of a health care program that helps diagnose chronic illnesses and helps educate patients about disease prevention

National Association of Community Health Centers
First Choice Health Centers, Inc. (East Hartford, CT), in support of a diabetes management initiative specifically targeting patients who are non-adherent to their protocol and are high-risk

Cornell Scott Hill-Health Center (New Haven, CT), in support of a program to lower diabetes A1c scores in the 503 center patients who have a value of 9 percent or higher

FLORIDA
School-Based Health Alliance
Florida: Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation School Health Initiative of the University of Miami (Miami, FL), in support of a program to expand care coordination and patient engagement

Health Choice Network of Florida, Inc. (Miami, FL), in support of enabling staff to work with more students and connect them to additional resources

National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Clearwater Free Clinic (Clearwater, FL), in support of a medication distribution program for underserved populations

Community Health Center of West Palm Beach (West Palm Beach, FL), in support of a chronic disease management clinic that is helping to improve health outcomes for the underserved population

ILLINOIS
School-Based Health Alliance
Erie Family Health Center (Chicago, IL), in support of a program focused on care coordination and increasing students' access to health care providers and services

Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (Chicago, IL), in support of a mental health outreach and intervention program

National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Avicenna Community Health Center (Champaign, IL), in support of its community-based approach to expand its resources and health care services to the underserved community

Community Health Care Clinic (Normal, IL), in support of services that will improve health care access for the homeless, including providing primary care

INDIANA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Bridges to Health (Marion, IN), in support of a pilot program that will provide care for patients living with diabetes and cardiac disease

MASSACHUSETTS
National Association of Community Health Centers
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center (Brockton, MA), in support of a patient self-management program for diabetes and hypertension patients

MICHIGAN
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Catherine's Health Center (Grand Rapids, MI), in support of a program to increase primary care access for the underserved in the Grand Rapids community

Dr. Gary Burnstein Community Health Clinic (Pontiac, MI), in support of the implementation of the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program, which will help prevent type 2 diabetes among at-risk populations

National Association of Community Health Centers
Baldwin Family Health Care (Baldwin, MI), in support of providing quality, integrated and comprehensive health care services that are accessible to all

NEVADA
National Association of Community Health Centers
Northern Nevada HOPES (Reno, NV), in support of the implementation of a Diabetes Population Management program designed to improve health outcomes in patients with diabetes

NEW YORK
School-Based Health Alliance
New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Center for Community Health and Education (NYP CCHE) (New York, NY), in support of data programming and the management of electronic medical records

Sisters of Charity Hospital (Buffalo, NY), in support of a program to teach health care practitioners coding to help meet patient needs

National Association of Community Health Centers
The Chautauqua Center (Dunkirk, NY), in support of a chronic disease management program for current and future clinic patients

NORTH CAROLINA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
The Caring Community Clinic (Jacksonville, NC), in support of the transition to a full-service free clinic that will provide the community with access to health care services focused on chronic disease management

Scotland Community Health Clinic (Laurinburg, NC), in support of a program that focuses on patients who are at risk for diabetes

Community Care Clinic of Rowan County (Salisbury, NC), in support of a diabetes management and smoking cessation program

OHIO
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
OPEN M Summit County Free Clinic (Akron, OH), in support of a nutrition education program that will teach patients the essentials to good health

Physicians CareConnection (Columbus, OH), in support of a new technology platform that will improve efficiencies and enhance workflow in order to better serve patient needs

Lorain County Free Clinic (Lorain, OH), in support of a medical services program that will continue to mobilize, coordinate and sustain health care access to the uninsured

Jefferson County Fourth Street Health Center (Steubenville, OH), in support of a diabetes education program that provides screenings to current and new patients who have symptoms of diabetes

PENNSYLVANIA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured (Scranton, PA), in support of the implementation of an electronic medical records program and expansion of counseling and physical therapy services

RHODE ISLAND
School-Based Health Alliance
Thundermist Health Center (Woonsocket, RI), in support of program focused on absenteeism, high-risk and disciplinary action

SOUTH CAROLINA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Anderson Free Clinic (Anderson, SC), in support of a new initiative focused on coordinated care for the underserved population

Community Medical Clinic of Kershaw County (Camden, SC), in support of health care models focused on tracking methods for medication adherence and health outcomes

Good Samaritan Medical Clinic, Inc. (Chester, SC), in support of the expansion of a women's health program that will serve approximately 400 women who qualify for OB\GYN health care services

Clinica Gratis of Community Initiatives, Inc. (Greenwood, SC), in support of a project that will increase access to primary care services for uninsured patients

Smith Medical Clinic, Inc. (Pawleys Island, SC), in support of a pilot program that will measure the impact that one-on-one medical care can have on health outcomes in patients living with two or more chronic diseases

National Association of Community Health Centers
Fetter Health Care Network (Charleston, SC), in support of a telehealth program for patients with diabetes

TEXAS
School-Based Health Alliance
Project Vida (El Paso, TX), in support of smoking cessation programs for youth and adults that help them lead tobacco-free lives

National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Lone Star Association of Charitable Clinics (Austin, TX), in support of a statewide training program to bring evidence-based diabetes education models to charitable clinics throughout Texas

Dr. James Gabbard Memorial Health Clinic (Corpus Christi, TX), in support of a smoking cessation study that will utilize best practice methods and counseling strategies to help people lead tobacco-free lives

Cornerstone Charitable Clinic (Fort Worth, TX), in support of an innovative diabetic educational program that will target at-risk populations

Mission Travis Mercy Clinic (Fort Worth, TX), in support of a comprehensive program that will assist patients in the prevention of heart disease

South County Community Clinic, dba Interfaith Community Clinic (Oak Ridge North, TX), in support of medical, dental and education programs that help improve the overall health and well-being of patients

Get Up Project (Round Rock, TX), in support of a women's health program that will increase the number of screenings that detect cervical cancer and breast cancer

I Care San Antonio (San Antonio, TX), in support of the expansion of a diabetic outreach vision program

VIRGINIA
National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
Chesapeake Care, Inc. (Chesapeake, VA), in support of a multidisciplinary effort to help improve health outcomes for patients living with diabetes

Center for High Blood Pressure (Chesterfield, VA), in support of the expansion of health care services including a diabetes prevention program

Free Clinic of Central Virginia (Lynchburg, VA), in support of health care services for patients living with chronic disease and COPD

CrossOver Healthcare Ministry (Richmond, VA), in support of newly-implemented quality improvement initiatives that will help ensure continued access to high-quality health care services for the uninsured

Health Wagon (Wise, VA), in support of a program designed to treat, prevent, and manage cardiovascular disease

About CVS Health
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through our 7,800 retail pharmacies, more than 900 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 65 million plan members, and expanding specialty pharmacy services, we enable people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable, effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at www.cvshealth.com.

Media Contacts:

Erin Shields Britt, CVS Health
(401) 770-9237
[email protected]

Eva Pereira, for CVS Health
(781) 559-0424
[email protected]

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SOURCE CVS Health Foundation