December 20, 2006
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
314.345.5500 office

Foundation Awards Diabetes, Obesity Grants To Improve Care

St. Louis -Two area organizations have received a share of $1,171,259 in grants from Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH). The funding focuses on two important issues facing Missourians - improved health care for individuals with diabetes and rising obesity rates in Missouri. The grants also are part of two newly developed MFH funding efforts - the Primary Care Access Initiative and the Better Self-Management of Diabetes Priority Area Grant program.

Central Ozarks Medical Center, in Richland, has received a $900,000 three-year grant to improve access to primary care in rural Miller County and expand the medical center's health promotion, disease prevention and diabetes and obesity education programs to uninsured adults and children. This funding is part of the Primary Care Access Initiative, which focuses on strengthening the health care safety net and improving access to care for Missouri residents. This is one of eight grants made across the state under this Initiative, for a total of $5 million.

Morgan County Health Center, in Versailles, has received a $271,259 three-year grant to help health center patients control their diabetes through better health choices and behavior change. The project expects to serve 1,200 individuals. This grant is one of eight across the state funded under the Better Self-Management of Diabetes program, which opened in 2006 and encourages high-quality care for individuals with this chronic disease.

"We are pleased to provide grants through these two new funding efforts," says Dr. James R. Kimmey, MFH's president and CEO. "Our Primary Care Access Initiative helps address a serious issue in our state - that many Missouri residents, especially those living outside our urban areas, have a problem accessing adequate health care facilities, services and providers. Our diabetes program enables the health care system to help patients take a more active role in managing their chronic disease effectively, and thus live healthier lives."

Established in 2000 through the for-profit conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state. MFH is in its fourth year of grantmaking, issuing more than $195 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured, underinsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

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