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Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation Awards Over $5.9 Million in Grants; 25 Organizations Will Receive New Funding

Posted on: Thursday, 15 December 2005, 09:00 CST

HINSDALE, Ill., Dec. 15 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) today announced it has awarded 45 grants totaling $5,944,092 for programs designed to increase the access Illinois children have to specific health services. About $3.5 million of that total will go towards new initiatives. This round of grants marks the second year of funding since ILCHF was established in late 2002.

New funding went to applicants in two categories: establishing or expanding oral or mental health services provided to children through school-based health centers, and establishing or expanding oral, mental or general pediatric services provided to children at community-based health centers. In all, funding for these new initiatives will help deliver care to or work on behalf of some 840,000 children statewide.

The remaining dollars continued support of initiatives funded in 2004 that were designed to increase the access children have to ongoing health care, expand oral and mental health programs, and address efforts to increase the use of developmental screening tools throughout the state.

"This year our Board adopted a much more focused position for funding," said Susan Kerr, ILCHF president. "During our first year of funding in 2004 we awarded dollars very broadly to a wide range of initiatives. This year we looked at the clinics serving our state's underserved children and targeted our funding to help establish or expand key pediatric services in these sites. Our goal was to help clinics operate as stronger 'medical homes' for these children."

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The 2005 grant recipients are:

-- Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital/Healthy Communities Partnership, Lincoln ($150,000) (see Note 1)

-- Action for Children, Chicago ($131,124) (see Note 1)

-- Advocate Charitable Foundation, Park Ridge ($100,000) (see Note 1)

-- Alivio Medical Center, Chicago ($50,000)

-- Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center, Chicago Heights ($32,684)

-- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Chicago ($58,000)

-- CCRC Community Link, Breese ($78,900) (see Note 1)

-- Central Illinois Dental Education and Services, NFP, Urbana ($135,000)

-- Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Champaign ($91,392)

-- Chicago Family Health Center, Chicago ($100,000)

-- Child Care Resource & Referral, Joliet ($146,812 b 2nd and final year funding) (see Note 1)

-- Children's Hospital of Illinois, Peoria ($400,000) (see Note 1)

-- Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago ($225,000)

-- Christian Community Health Center, Chicago ($140,000)

-- Circle Family Care, Chicago ($260,529)

-- Community Health Partnership of Illinois, Chicago ($118,409 b 2nd year of 3-year grant) (see Note 1)

-- Crusader Clinic, Rockford ($90,000) (see Note 1)

-- DuPage County Health Department, Wheaton ($350,000)

-- Family Christian Health Center, Harvey ($150,000)

-- Family Health Partnership Clinic, Woodstock ($83,992)

-- Hope School, Springfield ($100,000) (see Note 1)

-- Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago ($250,000)

-- Illinois State University, Normal ($44,319 b 2nd year of 3- year grant) (see Note 1)

-- La Rabida Children's Hospital, Chicago ($310,000) (See Note 2)

-- Lawndale Christian Health Center, Chicago ($100,000)

-- Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center, Chicago ($25,000 b 2nd year of 3-year grant) (see Note 1)

-- Macoupin County Public Health Department, Carlinville ($100,000)

-- Mercer County Health Department, Aledo ($50,120)

-- Milestone, Inc., Rockford ($259,860) (see Note 1)

-- Ounce of Prevention Fund, Chicago ($125,000) (see Note 1)

-- Rush University Medical Center, Chicago ($50,000) (see Note 1)

-- Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Chicago ($75,000 b 2nd year of 3-year grant) (see Note 1)

-- School Health Link, Inc., Silvis ($51,470)

-- Shawnee Health Service, Carterville ($205,550)

-- Southern Illinois Healthcare, Carbondale ($44,984)

-- Southern Illinois Regional Wellness Center, East St. Louis ($127,480)

-- Southern Illinois University, School of Allied Health, Carbondale ($200,000) (see Note 1)

-- Southern Illinois University, School of Dental Medicine, Alton ($88,200)

-- Southern Illinois University, School of Medicine, Carbondale ($50,000) (see Note 1)

-- University of Illinois at Chicago, Neighborhoods Initiative ($240,000)

-- University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago ($350,000)

-- Well Child Center, Elgin ($20,000) (see Note 1)

-- Will-Grundy Medical Clinic, Joliet ($60,267)

-- Winnebago County Health Department, Rockford ($125,000)

Note 1: Received continued funding.

Note 2: Received both new and continued funding.

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ILCHF received 125 letters of inquiry in response to their Requests for Proposals issued in March. Forty-three of those applicants were then invited to submit full proposals that were reviewed by Foundation staff, the ILCHF Board of Directors and a group of outside advisors from across the state.

-- Of the 10 clinic-related grants funded, eight will use dollars to establish or expand dental services provided to children.

-- Students in more than 200 schools will benefit from expanded services offered through school-based or school-linked health centers.

-- While the majority of grants will serve children residing in the state's most populous counties (Cook/collar counties), initiatives were also funded in Southern, Northern and Central Illinois areas.

Grantees from the 2004 funding cycle were also invited to submit requests for renewal of funding -- 25 of the 32 organizations that were originally funded applied for additional dollars; 15 of those were awarded funds during this cycle.

The Foundation's next grant cycle is tentatively scheduled to begin in early March with the release of the 2006 RFPs. Beginning in 2006, all prospective grantees will use a new, Web-based system to apply for funding. "We believe this new application system will make it easier for applicants to present their requests to us," Kerr added. "As a small-staffed foundation we also are constantly looking for ways to be as efficient as possible -- this new system will allow our staff to spend more of their time assisting applicants so they can present the strongest proposals possible."

For more details about the 2005 grantees, please visit the Foundation's Web site, http://www.ilchf.org. Additional information about the new grant application system and next year's funding will be distributed in January.

The Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation was formed with one goal in mind: to improve the health of all Illinois children. Through the annual release of targeted RFPs and proactive, ongoing funding, ILCHF works to eliminate the barriers that prevent children from regularly accessing high quality health care. ILCHF concentrates its funding in four general areas: improving the oral health of underserved children; increasing early identification and intervention for developmental issues; improving the access Illinois children have to healthcare services; and, supporting the mental health needs of children. Over the past two years the Foundation has awarded nearly $12 million in grants to organizations serving children's health needs across the state.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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