Cardinal Health Invites Providers to Apply for Grants to Improve Patient Safety

The Cardinal Health Foundation today announced that, for the fifth consecutive year, it will award more than $1 million in grant funding to help U.S. hospitals, health systems, community health clinics and other non-profit healthcare institutions improve the efficiency and quality of patient care.

Since the inception of the E3 Grant Program in 2008, the Cardinal Health Foundation has awarded 147 grants totaling more than $4.25 million to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of healthcare, nationwide.

Cardinal Health Foundation E3 Grant Program applicants are encouraged to submit funding requests for projects that will improve medication safety, particularly as patients move from hospital environments to home and other healt care settings; or for projects that will improve operating room (OR) safety through the use of World Health Organization Surgical Safety checklists. These checklists have been proven to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality by providing a list of patient safety activities that must be completed by a surgery team before proceeding with a medical procedure.

In addition to receiving funding, grantees working on surgical errors will have access to coaching support from members of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN). Grantees working on medication safety projects will have access to coaching and support from hospital pharmacy experts from the Cardinal Health Pharmacy Solutions team, who each year help hundreds of hospitals across the country implement best practices related to medication safety and other hospital pharmacy initiatives.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the Institute for Healthcare Improvements Web-based Improvement Map for best practice ideas for improving medication safety. Those interested in applying for grants to improve OR safety should refer to the AORN website for best practice ideas. Prospective grantees may also find summaries from successful E3 Grant Program proposals on the Cardinal Health Web site.

Applications for E3 grants must be submitted on the Cardinal Health Web site by Dec. 2, 2011.

"These grants have already helped hundreds of health care providers across the United States implement best practices that have protected thousands of patients from avoidable harm while saving millions of dollars in health care costs," says Dianne Radigan, director of communityrRelations for Cardinal Health. "We are so encouraged by the outcomes achieved by the organizations that have participated in this grant program over the past three years and are pleased to once again provide funding support to help an expanding network of hospitals and health clinics work together to improve the effectiveness, excellence and efficiency of patient care."

The Cardinal Health Foundation will also host two webinars to review program criteria and provide prospective grantees the opportunity to ask questions about the E3 Grant Program application process. The webinars will take place on Oct. 18 and Oct. 19 at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Those wishing to participate in the webinars may dial 1-877-336-4425 and dial the access code 7577481 to hear the audio portion of the Webcast; and visit https://www.connectmeeting.att.com, enter the meeting code 877-336-4425 and dial the access code 7577481 to access the visual presentation portion of the Webcast.