The Wellmark Foundation Funds Eleven Capacity-Building Grants in Iowa

November 16, 2007

Printer-Friendly Version

Contact:
Angela Feig
515.245.4551
feigab@wellmark.com

( Des Moines, Iowa) – The Wellmark Foundation funded eleven capacity-building grant requests from Iowa organizations totaling $104,743. The one-year grants are part of the Foundation’s grant program designed to increase the infrastructure and capacity of Iowa and South Dakota organizations to effectively meet long-term community health needs. The following awards were given:

• The Calhoun County Board of Health in Rockwell City was awarded $10,000 to develop a strategic plan to increase the financial management and resource development capacity of the Calhoun County Department of Health. The plans will focus on enhancing the Department’s relationship with the external health care environment and safeguarding the community’s health into the future.

• A $10,000 grant will allow the Community Health Center of Fort Dodge to develop a comprehensive needs assessment of Webster County. The information gathered in the assessment will be incorporated into a large federal grant proposal to support core operations and to recruit health care providers.Project partners include United Way, Public Health, Disability Alliance, North Central Home Care and Upper Des Moines.

• Healthy Henry County Communities in Mount Pleasant received a $9,800 grant to complete a county-wide survey of residents’ needs and awareness of various health and social issues. The survey is part of an ongoing collaborative effort to assess the overall community health status of the county and to identify service gaps by population. Partners include Henry County Public Health, Henry County Health Center and CD-DIAL at Iowa State University.

• The Iowa Department of Public Health was awarded $10,000 to establish a user-group as part of plans to develop a statewide data warehouse. The warehouse will build the capacity of the Department to collect, manage and disseminate data for community health needs assessments and health improvement planning. The project will enhance the Department’s ability to deliver timely and consistent population-based data to local communities.

• The Iowa Health Foundation in Des Moines was awarded $10,000 to conduct an evaluation of software programs to create easier-to-read health care written materials. Results will help Iowa Health System select a new program to improve readability of patient and family materials. The Foundation also plans to share its findings with its partners interested in health literacy. The evaluation is part of the Iowa Health Foundation’s continued efforts to increase health literacy by building system-wide capacity to improve the readability of written materials, expand staff knowledge and skills, and increase efficiency.

• The North Iowa Community Action Organization in Mason City received a $10,000 grant to increase the capacity of 3-Ds (Data Divas and Dudes), a regional technical assistance coalition, to support area organizations. The project will create a web-based platform to improve the quality and quantity of data accessible to members, and will enhance the skills of its members through training in technology, group facilitation and strategic planning. Project partners include United Way of North Iowa, Mason City Youth Task Force and Community Assessment Technical Specialists.

• The Orchard Place Foundation in Des Moines will use a $9,950 grant to implement a project to measure the effect of outpatient mental health treatment at its Child Guidance Center. The project will add capacity to the agency’s treatment outcomes, effect measures and data system by incorporating reliable measurement tools into its electronic record. This will allow the Center to gather, analyze and report treatment data and consumer satisfaction at individual, practitioner, program and agency levels.

• A $5,000 grant will allow the Pella Hospital Foundation to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study on developing a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in a rural setting. The study will include an assessment of services currently available and services needed by the elderly and those at the end of life. The study is part of the Foundation’s initiative to create a community coalition to provide a continuum of care with a positive long-term, community-wide impact.

• The Siouxland Human Investment Partnership (SHIP) in Sioux City was awarded $10,000 to develop a local promotion plan to raise awareness of end-of-life issues. The plan will support a national project in which Hospice of Siouxland is partnering with The National Medical Report Services to create a national documentary and series of reports on end of life. SHIP will work closely with Hospice of Siouxland to develop messages and strategies targeting local consumers and health care providers. Additional partners include Mercy Medical Center, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, June E. Nylen Cancer Center and local media outlets.

• The University of Iowa Foundation will use a $9,993 grant to implement a comprehensive data collection project in a Sudanese community in eastern Iowa. Data will be collected on the prevalence of diabetes, traditional health risks for diabetes, and health beliefs regarding diabetes prevention and care. Results will be used to develop community capacity-building diabetes protocol, including an education program for the community and for testing in other Sudanese communities in Iowa. Partners include the Sudanese Association, Iowa Center on Health Disparities at the University of Northern Iowa and Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County.

• The Iowa Center of Health Disparities at the University of Northern Iowa received a $10,000 grant to develop a comprehensive, long-range business plan. The plan will ensure the Center’s growth and sustainability to continue its work of promoting health equity for diverse and underserved populations in Iowa. Activities will include development of a strategic financial plan, public awareness campaign and market survey to determine intervention priority areas. The Center is supported by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other federal, state and private agencies.

The Wellmark Foundation has provided $2,003,258 to 65 health-related grants in Iowa and South Dakota during 2007, including a total of $154,083 approved during this capacity-building grant cycle. Visit The Wellmark Foundation’s Web site at www.wellmark.com/foundation for instructions on how to apply for a grant and a list of previous grant recipients.

The Wellmark Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.