Blue Shield of California Foundation Awards More Than $6.7 Million to 304 Organizations Throughout California.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Continuing its commitment to the health and well-being of all Californians, the Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) has awarded more than $6.7 million in grants to 304 organizations throughout the state that exemplify the foundation's goals of preventing domestic violence, increasing health care access and assessing medical technologies that improve the health of individuals and communities.

The recent grants are part of the $24 million the foundation expects to award to community organizations in 2004, compared with $8 million in grants disbursed in 2003. Grantees include programs aimed at ending intimate partner and family violence and support for community clinics that serve the uninsured populations in our state.

"We're proud to support so many quality programs and organizations that have such a profound impact on the health of our communities," said Crystal Hayling, president of BSCF. "With the ranks of the uninsured on the rise and domestic violence impacting as many as three in 10 women, these organizations are in the forefront of their communities, providing much-needed services. We commend them."

The foundation awarded more than $1 million in grants to 101 domestic violence shelters throughout the state and $902,000 to 17 organizations and programs statewide that combat domestic violence. These grants include:

--$100,000 to the Center for Child Protection at Children's Hospital and Research Center at Oakland. The center is the primary provider in Alameda County for pediatric medical examinations in cases where physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect is suspected or alleged. The CCP also provides psychosocial evaluation and treatment for these children, as well as school-based psychotherapy services and sexual assault prevention and therapy groups.

--$100,000 to the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women. This volunteer organization provides domestic violence prevention, education and intervention programs for high-risk women, teens and children, including a nationally recognized self-defense training program and a teen relationship violence prevention curriculum.

In addition to supporting community-based groups and programs that target domestic abuse, the Blue Shield of California Foundation operates innovative training and education programs for California employers, health care workers and dental professionals, enlisting their aid in identifying cases of intimate partner abuse and connecting those affected with much-needed help. The Blue Shield Against Violence employer outreach program offers free consultation and training to any California employer that requests it. The program has been in existence since 1996 and has provided training for more than 100 employers, including Macy's West, Marriott International and the San Francisco Giants.

"While October is domestic violence awareness month, it's important to keep this critical health and social issue in mind all year long," said Marianne Balin, manager of the Blue Shield Against Violence program. "The shelters and other organizations we support see the effects of intimate partner and family violence daily. It's shocking to know how common such abuse is."

The bulk of the recent grants -- nearly $4.6 million -- went to 182 community health clinics and other organizations in 42 counties that deliver health care to the state's low income and uninsured populations. Grants to community clinics ranged from $10,000 to $50,000. Other health care access grants include:

--$323,000 to three rural school districts in Mendocino and San Luis Obispo counties to enable their participation in "Express Lane Eligibility," a statewide pilot project designed to provide low-income children with access to health care.

--$120,000 to Operation Access, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that provides free outpatient elective surgeries to uninsured individuals throughout the six-county Bay Area.

"One in five California residents lacks basic health care coverage," said Tanir Ami, program officer for BSCF's Center for Healthcare Access. "Our goal is to find solutions to the problem of the uninsured, which affects not only individuals, but our communities as a whole. Our vision is a community where every Californian has access to high quality, cost-effective health care. The programs and organizations we support help further that vision."

One research organization was the recipient of two grants related to BSCF's third focus -- assessing the safety and efficacy of new medical technologies. The U.C. Irvine Foundation received a total of $200,000 for its pilot projects to implement a wireless bedside medication administration system and a wireless bedside order entry system.

Blue Shield of California Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.2 million members, 4,300 employees and 20 offices throughout California. The Blue Shield of California Foundation provides charitable contributions and conducts research and supports programs with an emphasis on domestic violence prevention, medical technology assessment and reducing the number of uninsured. For more information, visit the Blue Shield of California website at www.mylifepath.com or the Foundation at www.blueshieldcafoundation.org.