DUBLIN, OH – More than 40 healthcare organizations will benefit from more than $1 million in Cardinal Health Foundation awards aimed at boosting care and efficiency.

The hospitals, health systems and clinics in 25 states have been awarded grants ranging from $7,500 up to $37,500 as part of the 2010 Cardinal Health Foundation E3 Grant Program, which was launched in 2008 to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of healthcare across the country.
 
Since the grant program's inception, the Cardinal Health Foundation has awarded 108 grants totaling more than $3 million to help implement evidence-based best practices that improve patient safety and the cost effectiveness of healthcare.
 
The 2010 E3 Grant Program encouraged applicants to submit funding requests for projects that will either improve medication management or improve efficiency and safety within the operating room.
 
The Cardinal Health Foundation also this year invited E3 Grant Program applicants to apply for scholarships to attend professional development programs hosted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). As a result, the Cardinal Health Foundation awarded scholarships to help individuals from 37 healthcare facilities attend IHI professional development programs that will teach them how to create a culture of safety within their organizations.
 
"By improving medication and operating room safety and efficiency, healthcare providers can dramatically reduce healthcare costs and even more importantly, they can save lives," said Shelley Bird, executive vice president of public affairs for Cardinal Health and chairperson of the Cardinal Health Foundation. "The Cardinal Health Foundation is proud to support the innovative work of our 2010 E3 Grant Program winners, and we believe their efforts will lead to direct and long-lasting improvements in healthcare efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality."

For a list of the grant recipients and their projects, click on the next page.