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Improving healthcare quality

Medication safety and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are two of the largest patient safety issues that healthcare organizations face every day. An estimated 1 in 20 patients – more than 2 million people – are affected by HAIs each year. Medication mistakes injure more than 1.5 million patients each year. And the financial burden is escalating: medication errors cost the healthcare industry more than $3.5 billion annually, while HAIs cost the industry more than $20 billion annually.

The Cardinal Health Foundation plans to invest $15 million from 2008 – 2011 to reduce HAIs and medication errors throughout the United States, with a particular emphasis on communities where Cardinal Health employees live and work. Specifically, the Cardinal Health Foundation will provide funding to organizations and programs that:

 

Set national priorities related to healthcare quality

Improving healthcare quality takes collaboration, innovation and a commitment to results. That’s why we pursue partnerships with organizations and programs that identify national healthcare priorities, and then create measurement criteria and standards of care to impact those priorities.

Provide education opportunities for healthcare professionals

Continued education is critical to a provider’s ability to create innovative solutions to reduce HAIs and medication errors. That’s why the Cardinal Health Foundation supports national conferences, specialized education programs and leadership institutes that provide development opportunities for healthcare leaders, infection control professionals, nurses, pharmacists and physicians.

Research and recognize best practices for improving healthcare

We fund national research that identifies best practices for reducing HAIs and medication errors. We also recognize provider excellence by funding key awards.
  • ASHP Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety: Established in 2003, the Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety was jointly developed by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) Research and Education Foundation and the Cardinal Health Foundation. The award recognizes a pharmacist-led multidisciplinary team for significant institution-wide improvements relating to medication use. The award is administered by the ASHP Foundation and is sponsored in its entirety by the Cardinal Health Foundation.

    The Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety provides $50,000 to one award winner, and $10,000 to two finalists. Learn more about the Award for Excellence in Medication-Use Safety
  • Foster McGaw Prize: The Foster G. McGaw Prize, first awarded in 1986, recognizes healthcare organizations for outstanding commitment to improving the health and well being of the people they serve through community-wide innovative collaboration. This honor inspires hospitals and health systems to implement programs that can meaningfully impact their communities.

    The Foster G. McGaw Prize provides $100,000 to the award winner and $10,000 to three finalists. The program is co-sponsored by the Cardinal Health Foundation, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and The Baxter International Foundation. Learn more about the Foster G. McGaw Prize

Implement best practices for improving healthcare quality

We help providers at the local and regional level implement best practices for reducing HAIs and medication errors.
  • Patient safety grants: In 2007, Cardinal Health established the Cardinal Health Patient Safety Grant Program, a $1 million charitable grant that annually funds initiatives by healthcare providers to enhance patient safety and quality of care. These highly competitive grants range from $5,000 to $50,000 and are awarded to programs that develop and implement new and innovative best practices for improving medication safety and reducing HAIs. Applicants should draw on the National Quality Forum's six priority areas.
    The deadline for the 2009 cycle has passed. Submission deadlines will reopen Summer 2009.
  • Grants to develop scaleable healthcare models in Ohio and San Diego: We’re engaging healthcare systems, hospitals, the corporate community, government and individuals to create infrastructure and scaleable, outcome-based models that reduce healthcare-associated infections and medication errors in Ohio and San Diego – the two areas where we have the most significant number of employees.
  • International grants: We’re committed to improving healthcare in international communities where we have a large employee presence. Initially, international grants will focus on the unique healthcare needs of key communities within Mexico, Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom. Support for initiatives in these regions is determined by local Cardinal Health employees who are working in partnership with local healthcare providers to identify priorities.


Please note that many grants from the Cardinal Health Foundation are by invitation only. Visit our Apply for support page to find programs for which we’re currently accepting letters of intent and grant applications.