Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Cardinal Health Foundation, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy Join to Prevent Prescription Medication Abuse

The Cardinal Health Foundation announced (Oct. 28, 2009) that it has awarded The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy a $100,000 grant to create education and outreach programs that empower pharmacists, colleges and universities to fight prescription medication abuse and misuse in their communities.
 
According to the Ohio Department of Health, more than a quarter of all Ohio high school students have reported using a prescription medication without a doctor’s prescription. The abuse and misuse of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana use as the nation’s most prevalent drug problem, and more than 16.2 million Americans age 12 and older have taken a prescription pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant or sedative for non-medical reasons. 
 
The educational materials that will be developed by The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy as a result of this grant funding will help pharmacists and pharmacy students educate their communities about the dangers of prescription medication abuse and misuse; how to safely store and dispose of prescription medications; how to identify signs and symptoms that someone they love may be abusing or misusing medications; and action steps they can take to prevent this issue in their homes and communities.
 
After an initial pilot rollout among Ohio pharmacies, colleges and universities, Cardinal Health and The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy plan to make these educational materials available for use nationwide.

News Round Up: Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley, Kresge Foundation, Fund for Our Economic Future

The Business Journal Daily reports (July 1, 2009) that the Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley (OH) has met the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations [PDF] approved by the Council on Foundations and adopted by the community foundation field in late 2000.  

“This is critically important to our donors," says Patricia Brozik, president of the Community Foundation of Mahoning Valley. "When people make a charitable bequest, establish a fund or set up an annuity, they are putting their trust in us. They are counting on us to manage the investment wisely, honor their charitable wishes and, in some cases, provide lifetime income to a loved one. The National Standards confirmation says our house is in order.”

Crain's Cleveland Business reports (July 2, 2009) that MetroHealth has met the fundraising challenge[PDF] issued by the Kresge Foundation and has been awarded $1 million to complete its Senior Health & Wellness Center at MetroHealth's Brooklyn Campus.

Fund for Our Economic Future announced (June 9, 2009) that it will continue its collaboration to support regional economic competitiveness into a third phase to start in February 2010 and end in February 2013. Fund Chairman David Abbott, also executive director of the George Gund Foundation,acknowledged that because of the global financial crisis, the Fund anticipates having fewer resources in the next three years than were available during each of its first two phases.

Kresge Foundation Commits $1 Million to MetroHealth Senior Center

The Kresge Foundation has announced its intention to grant $1 million to The Senior Health & Wellness Center at MetroHealth’s Old Brooklyn Campus through its Challenge Grant Program. The award comes as MetroHealth and its collaborative partners enter the final months of the largest, single fundraising initiative in the organization’s history – $30 million in philanthropic and government support to create a new national model of caring for seniors.

In order to receive the $1 million grant, MetroHealth and partners – the Benjamin Rose Institute, Concordia Care, and the Visiting Nurse Association’s Hospice and Palliative Care Partners of Ohio – must raise an additional $3 million by October 1 to complete the capital phase of the Center’s fundraising initiative.

Several gifts and grants have already been received toward the challenge amount, including a pledge by National City to match new corporate funding. Eaton Corporation has answered that call with a $100,000 gift. National City will match that gift with $100,000. New foundation support paving the way to meet the Kresge challenge includes grants of $150,000 from The Harold C. Schott Foundation and $25,000 from The George W. Codrington Charitable Foundation.

Source: National Foundation Commits $1 Million to Supporting New Health Care Model for Seniors, MetroHealth news release, March 5, 2008.

Delta Dental Foundation Awards Second Round of Mini-grants

The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF), the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, recently announced the recipients of its second annual Community Mini-Grant Program designed to support programs that address the oral health needs of residents in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Nearly 70 grant applications were received for the program, and 16 were made. Grants were awarded in increments up to $5,000.

The 2007 grantees include:

Michigan

• Center for Family Health, Oral Health DVD for Medical Professionals, Jackson, Mich. A grant of $5,000 will help to produce an educational DVD that will demonstrate the basic steps to screen infants and young children for dental disease.
• Michigan Oral Health Coalition, Cavity Free Kids program, Lansing, Mich. A grant of $5,000 to purchase curriculum developed by Delta Dental of Washington’s Foundation for its Cavity Free Kids program.

Ohio

• Ohio University, ComCorps Program, Athens County, Ohio. A grant of $4,559 to assist with oral health education and a fluoridation program for more than 1,500 underserved children in the county.
• Ross County Community Action Head Start, Chillicothe, Ohio. A grant of $5,000 will support the Head Start’s Dental Prevention and Education Program. The program is designed to improve the oral health of 300 low-income children ages three to five.
• Medina County Oral Health Coalition, Medina, Ohio. A grant of $4,974 to support the funding of a dental clinic inside the Medina County Health Department, which will provide free or affordable oral health services and supplies to underserved children in the county.

Indiana

• Neighborhood Health Clinics, Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind. A grant of $5,000 to the clinic’s Dental Sealant Program, which provides dental screenings, dental education and sealants to underserved second, third, sixth and seventh graders.
• Parents as Teachers (PAT) of Hammond/Lake County, Inc., Hammond, Ind. A grant of $4,168 to the local PAT program, which provides free education and support to parents with children prenatal to kindergarten. The funds will purchase supplies for the Dental Health Month programs.

The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, which also operates Delta Dental of Ohio and Delta Dental of Indiana. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs.

Source: Delta Dental Foundation Awards over $73,000 in Grants to Improve Oral Health in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, Delta Dental news release, March 6, 2008.

Columbus Children's Hospital, Abercrombie & Fitch Face Flap over Naming Rights

The advocacy group, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (Boston), wants to keep the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus from putting the Abercrombie & Fitch name on a new emergency room. Abercrombie has pledged $10 million toward the construction of the emergency department at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.

Not the first time Abercrombie & Fitch, based in New Albany, Ohio, has faced criticism about its marketing campaigns aimed at teenagers, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is urging the hospital to drop any plans to put the retailer's name on the project, pointing to research that has shown a link between sexualized images of teens in the media and mental health problems in girls. The advocacy group made its position public in a letter to the hospital on Tuesday, March 11, signed by about 70 pediatricians and academics from around the U.S.

Tom Lennox, a spokesman at Abercrombie & Fitch, said, “We are proud of our longstanding relationship with the hospital and pleased to help secure its bright future.”

The New York Times reported that a call from a reporter to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for a response to the letter from the coalition was returned by Jon M. Fitzgerald, the president of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation. “I like to focus on the philanthropy of it,” Mr. Fitzgerald said, adding, “I don’t feel comfortable addressing” any of the objections raised in the letter.

“Two years ago, Abercrombie & Fitch made a very significant philanthropic gift,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “In honor of that gift, we chose to offer recognition of their tremendous support of our organization.”

Mr. Fitzgerald took issue with a contention in the letter that the hospital agreed to “sell naming rights” to Abercrombie & Fitch in exchange for the $10 million.

“We don’t sell naming rights,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We as a nonprofit accept gifts to support our mission. We’re looking for philanthropic support.”

What do you think?

Sources: When a Corporate Donation Raises Protests, Stuart Elliott, New York Times, March 12, 2008. Advocates Balk at Renaming Ohio Hospital, Matt Leingang, Associated Press, March 12, 1008.