Broward Regional Health Planning Council Receives $95,000 Grant from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2008

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – Local health planning councils will soon be armed with knowledge that will enable them to better meet the health care needs of their communities. Broward Regional Health Planning Council today received $95,000 from » The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida (BCBSF). The grant will fund research to identify gaps in primary and preventative health services.

The Florida Statewide Prevention Quality Indicator Initiative (PQI) will look at emergency room and hospital inpatient admission data across the state and determine which hospital and emergency room admissions could have been prevented had quality primary care and preventative services been accessible. Congestive heart failure, hypertension and diabetes are among the 14 avoidable admissions analyzed.

Once analyzed, the Broward Regional Health Planning Council will provide health planning councils with information about their community. This knowledge will help councils work with their community stakeholders to develop their own approaches to reducing the health conditions most prevalent in their area.

“Some hospitalizations can be avoided if people are linked to quality, preventative services and primary care centers, said Michael De Lucca, president and CEO, Broward Regional Health Planning Council. “Now, local health planning councils will have the opportunity to work with their community to identify unique and targeted community-based interventions based on this data.”

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is dedicated to making a constructive contribution to the health and well-being of all Floridians – especially the uninsured and underserved. This grant is one of 14, totaling more than $1 million, that The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida will present this summer to nonprofit health clinics and community outreach programs across Florida.

“We’re proud to support this innovative initiative,” said Susan Towler, executive director, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. “Quantitative information combined with local health planning councils’ in-depth understanding of their community is a great combination to develop lasting health solutions.”

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida awards grants during two grant cycles per year. With the completion of the 2008 summer grant cycle, The Blue Foundation will have presented 158 grants and 20 awards totaling more than $10.5 million since its founding in 2001.

The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of BCBSF incorporated in the state of Florida. The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, and its parent, BCBSF, are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information on The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida, please visit its Web site at www.bluefoundationfl.com.

The Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. (BRHPC) is a private, 501 (c)(3) organization that provides expertise in research, consulting, community needs assessment, strategic health services planning, capacity development and evaluation of health and social programs. For more information on BRHPC, call (954) 561-9681 or visit www.brhpc.org.