Foundation-Funded Projects
Since its inception, the foundation has funded 124 grants at a total of nearly $1.5 million for programs promoting healthy lifestyles and improving community health status. Projects that have been funded include community health needs assessments and primary and dental care clinics as well as projects focusing on youth tobacco use prevention, childhood immunization, child abuse prevention, teen pregnancy, osteoporosis education and prescription assistance. Other focus areas included: parenting and families; the first-three-years-of-life care; elderly and end-of-life care; increasing physical activity; reducing the incidence of low-birth-weight babies; reducing the incidence of substance abuse; and reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases.

Beginning in 2004 – long before workplace wellness initiatives had gained their current prominence – the foundation began focusing its resources toward assisting hospitals to serve as role models of healthy workplaces.  The foundation’s “Hospitals as the Healthiest Workplaces in Ohio!” grants provided three years of matching funds to hospitals that encouraged employee participation in wellness programs.

Lessons learned from those grants have been shared in several statewide forums for employers seeking strategies to improve workforce wellness and reduce employee health care costs. With a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Health and also with the foundation’s own funds, the workplace wellness focus was expanded beginning in 2006 to encourage hospitals to assist other local employers in creating healthier workforces.

In 2008, the foundation funded "Hospitals for Healthier Workforces” grants, which allowed five Ohio hospitals to team up with local schools, fire departments, manufacturers and nursing homes to fight obesity in the workplace.  With the aid of $100,000 in funding, these hospitals were able to impact the lives of over 300 employees to make positive changes in their health and lifestyle.  Read more.

In 2009, the foundation narrowed its focus even further, awarding nearly $100,000 to help four Ohio hospitals engage their local communities in long-term efforts to reduce childhood obesity. Through the "Hospitals for Healthier Children" grants, these hospitals will partner with local school districts, health departments and other organizations to fight childhood obesity. Read more.

Grants Administration
The foundation also plays the role of grants administrator for government funds. Government agencies that seek to fund projects strategically performed by hospitals prefer to contract with the Foundation, which in turn oversees the grant selection process and acts as fiscal agent of the funds.

Since 2001, the Foundation has administered more than $7 million of funds through contracts with government entities. These include grants management of tobacco settlement funds through the Ohio Department of Health, Health Resource and Services Administration funds for Critical Access Hospitals, Department of Development funds for health care workforce development and Appalachian Regional Commission funds.