Medica Foundation 2006 Second Cycle Funding Puts Major Focus on Prevention and Preventive Services, Healthy Living and Health Care Literacy.

$768,635 in Grants for 33 Projects

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Medica Foundation in its second cycle of funding for 2006 made grants totaling $517,735 for projects that address prevention and preventive services, healthy living and health care literacy. The Medica Foundation also funded an additional $250,900 in general health improvement grants and projects throughout the state of Minnesota. For all of 2006, the Medica Foundation provided $1.5 million in grants.

Helping people understand the health care system and what they can do to better their own health is an important focus for the Medica Foundation. "The Medica Foundation has placed an emphasis on projects that help educate Minnesotans about maintaining their health and those that improve access to preventive care. We recognize that initiatives like these are fundamental to better health and lower costs for everyone," said Rob Longendyke, executive director.

The Medica Foundation funded five projects in the area of prevention and preventive services:

* Anoka County Human Services, $33,000, for its Partnerships for Family Success project that seeks to improve families' knowledge of preventive health benefits though support from case managers who ensure families are appropriately accessing health care resources.

* Carlton County Public Health and Human Services, $74,653, for its Prenatal, Postpartum, Well-baby Mental Health Program, which provides home visits for at-risk new mothers and babies to foster secure attachment between mother and baby, help mothers overcome postpartum depression and encourage parenting that optimizes healthy physical, social and emotional development of children.

* Community Dental Care, $40,000, for its Expectant Mothers and Children Oral Health Care Outreach and Education project. It provides prenatal outreach and preventive oral care and education to expectant mothers and young children living in high-risk populations in East St. Paul.

* Dakota County Public Health Department, $66,794, for a project designed to increase screening and treatment for Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infectious diseases at health clinics in Dakota County.

* Sustainable Resources Center, $35,000, Leadie Eddie Mobile Lead Testing project that provides a mobile blood lead screening program in counties throughout Minnesota.

Six grants were provided for projects that address Healthy Living:

* Bolder Options, $30,000, for its St. Paul Expansion Project, which mentors at-risk youth on setting healthy lifestyle goals and activities, including physical fitness, exercise and positive lifestyle choices.

* Courage Center, $30,000, for its Wellness and Fitness Program Research Initiative, which will test the effectiveness of a fitness program for adults with physical disabilities by measuring improved function, quality of life and medial utilization costs. The program will serve residents of Wright County.

* Minnesota Physicians' Foundation of the Minnesota Medical Association, $30,000, for The Power of the Pyramid. This project will develop a year-long pilot program for the Duluth metro area that focuses on teaching children in schools and their families the four basic tools for living a healthy lifestyle.

* Peta Wakan Tipi, $30,000, for its Dream of Wild Health Education Center, which provides a unique American Indian health education and cultural resource for the Dream of Wild Health Education Center in Washington County.

* Roseau Area Hospital and Homes, Inc., $11,535, for its Eat Well and Keep Moving project, an interdisciplinary nutrition and physical activity curriculum aimed at building lifelong healthy habits for all sixth grade students in the region.

* Volunteers of America of Minnesota, $28,753, for its Hmong Elder Connections program in Minneapolis. The grant will expand this program to include a physical exercise and health education and health screening program facilitated by an instructor fluent in Hmong.

* Pillsbury United Communities is the recipient of a $30,000 grant for their Bridge to Healthy Outcomes project. Primarily focused on providing services to immigrants and refugees living in Hennepin County, the program is an innovative, community-based approach that promotes access to health care services and removes barriers for diverse populations and communities.

Five grants were provided in the area of Health Literacy:

* American Slavic Institute, $3,000, for its Reduce Healthcare Costs 2007 program, which will develop educational materials to help people with unique cultural needs overcome language barriers and reduce disparities in health outcomes.

* East Hillside Patch, $15,000, for its Health Equity Project, which seeks to empower low-income people to more effectively manage health and wellness needs, navigate the health care system and use more resources that aid in prevention and maintenance of chronic health conditions.

* Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, $30,000, for its Health Literacy and Medication Knowledge in Native Spanish-Speaking Patients program. The program will assess the cost effectiveness of using the "teach-back" method in the Hennepin County Medical Center pharmacy to improve the understanding of medication instructions.

* Parents in Community Action, Inc. for its project, Navigating Family Health: Confidence, Communication and Decision-Making Skills Training for Low-Income Parents. The project will train and equip 200 racially and ethnically diverse low-income parents of young children to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their children.

* Vietnamese Social Service of Minnesota, $30,000, for its project, Refugee Health Care Literacy Project. This project will increase Vietnamese and Karen refugees and immigrants access to health care and health insurance by addressing cultural and economic barriers to participation.

In addition to the grants outlined above, the Medica Foundation provided funding for 17 projects throughout the state that addressed such things as behavioral health issues, substance abuse and healthful living.

About the Medica Foundation

The Medica Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable grant-making foundation and a sister organization to Medica Health Plans, a Minnesota-based nonprofit HMO. The Foundation generally seeks to fund community-based programs and initiatives that can provide sustainable, measurable improvements in the availability, access and quality of healthcare. Email: [e-mail]; Phone: [phone]

About Medica

Medica (www.medica.com) is Minnesota's largest HMO, largest PPO and leading non-profit and independent provider of health plans. Medica has 1.2 million members and nearly 27,000 providers in a regional health care network service area that is available to 98 percent of Minnesotans and a growing number of adjoining counties in Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. Medica also offers national network coverage to employers who also have employees outside the Medica regional network. Medica has the highest accreditation, Excellent, from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA([R])) for the commercial health plans it provides to Minnesotans and North Dakotans and for Medicaid HMO plans. Medica's vision is to become the community's health plan of choice, trusted for its integrity, respected for its service, and admired for its commitment to innovation and efficiency.