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Blue Cross of California Foundation Funds Tomas Rivera Policy Institute Fellowship

Posted on: Thursday, 17 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross of California Foundation, the charitable giving arm of WellPoint, Inc. in California, announced it has granted the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) at the University of Southern California the resources to fund a one-year fellowship to study health care trends among the nation's Latino community.

Latinos represent one of the fastest growing populations in the country, and they suffer disproportionately, from many preventable health problems. Ongoing research to identify the disparities in Latino health issues is critical to help shape and develop health programs and services that will help meet this population's needs in coming years.

The WellPoint/TRPI Fellowship will be awarded in early September in a nationally competitive process. The fellow, who will hold at least a master's degree in health care administration or related health fields, will join three other TRPI fellows currently conducting research. The WellPoint/TRPI Fellow's research will be published and distributed throughout the public health domain.

"Given the importance of the growing Latino population we are pleased at the establishment of the WellPoint/TRPI Fellowship," said David Helwig, president and CEO for WellPoint's West Region. "We are confident the data gathered will help provide policymakers and health care providers with valuable information to better understand these critical health issues and work together with us to improve the overall health of this country's burgeoning population."

"Thanks to the generosity of the Blue Cross of California Foundation, this gives us additional and needed in-house capacity to conduct applied policy research in the health care domain," said Harry Pachon, Ph.D., president of the TRPI and a public policy professor at USC. "We appreciate the Foundation's strong commitment to the Latino community."

About the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute:

The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) is a nonprofit, freestanding research organization headquartered at the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California with a satellite office at Columbia University in New York City. The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) advances informed policy on key issues affecting Latino communities through objective and timely research contributing to the betterment of the nation.

About Blue Cross of California and the BCC Foundation:

Blue Cross of California and its Foundation are independent licensees of the Blue Cross Association. Blue Cross of California Foundation focuses on initiatives that make health care more accessible and affordable, improve quality of care, shape the development of health-related public policy and help identify best practices in medicine. The Foundation invests in social programs and partners with non-profit public charities whose objectives closely align with Blue Cross of California's health care priorities. Blue Cross of California Foundation was formed by Blue Cross of California, a health benefits company that has been serving the health care needs of Californians since 1937.

Blue Cross of California Foundation

CONTACT: Leslie Porras of Blue Cross of California Foundation,+1-805-557-6745, Leslie.Porras@wellpoint.com

Source: PRNewswire

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