• 2009 Healthy Lifestyles Pre-Proposal Conferences
• HCF Announces 2008 Safety Net Grant Awards
• HCF Grant Making Progress Report
• Issues in Missouri Health Care 2008
• Policy Options to Reduce the Burden of Tobacco in Kansas and Missouri
• Lacey Named American Academy of Nursing Fellow
• Living on the Edge
• 2009 Key Dates for Grant Deadlines
• Grantee Spotlight: Society of St. Andrew

2009 Healthy Lifestyles Pre-Proposal Conferences

In 2009, HCF will invest $4 million in Healthy Lifestyles grants. Eligible organizations are encouraged to apply. Letters of Intent are due on February 11, 2009, with full proposals due on March 11, 2009. Pre-Proposal conferences will be held on January 14 and 15 for applicants to ask questions and learn about the grant application process. Register here.

HCF Announces 2008 Safety Net Grant Awards

HCF approved nearly $7 million in safety net health grants at its November board meeting. The grants were awarded to 51 organizations in the HCF service area that seek to improve access to health care for the uninsured and underserved. Full list of grants.

HCF Grant Making Progress Report

HCF is proud to share its first annual Progress Report. This report is designed to take you beyond the numbers and illustrate the areas, organizations and demographics served by the grants awarded in 2007.

Issues in Missouri Health Care 2008

HCF and the Missouri Foundation for Health sponsored a series of issue papers on critical health care issues facing Missouri. The reports were prepared by Health Management Associates and are intended to provide nonpartisan expert analysis.

Policy Options to Reduce the Burden of Tobacco in Kansas and Missouri

As the nation copes with the excess disease burden caused by smoking, public officials seek policies to mitigate the health and financial impacts of tobacco. This white paper outlines potential solutions to reduce the toll of tobacco in Kansas and Missouri.

Lacey Named American Academy of Nursing Fellow

Susan R. Lacey, PhD, RN, FAAN, was honored recently by the American Academy of Nursing as one of 90 international nursing fellows. Lacey is the Director of the newly-launched Bi-State Nursing Workforce Innovation Center, a project jointly funded by HCF and the REACH Healthcare Foundation.

Living on the Edge

What would happen if a car accident or a lay-off left you without a job and resources? Could you survive a month in poverty? We invite you to walk a mile in the shoes of those facing poverty by participating in Living on the Edge, a community action poverty simulation presented by the Missouri Association for Community Action. This simulation will dramatically demonstrate how much time and energy many families have to give just to survive day-by-day in poverty. The hour-long simulation will be followed by a facilitated discussion about public policy initiatives and what our communities can do to address poverty and improve the health of residents. The simulations begin in November and run through April. Click here to register.

2009 Key Dates for Grant Deadlines

HCF has announced the 2009 deadlines for Applicant Defined Grants, Healthy Lifestyles, Mental Health and Safety Net grant proposals.

Grantee Spotlight: Society of St. Andrew

Each week in the Kansas City metropolitan area more than 60,000 people (including more than 25,000 children) seek emergency food assistance. Food banks such as Harvesters help in filling the gap for these families, but studies show that at-risk populations are not receiving the proper amount of fruits and vegetables, as many food banks do not receive an adequate amount of produce donations.

The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) is a national organization that bridges the gap between the billions of pounds of nutritious but excess food and the 36 million Americans that don’t get enough to eat. SoSA establishes partnerships with farmers, growers and produce packing houses across the western United States to salvage produce that is destined to be wasted because of minor cosmetic defects or that have been left in fields after harvest. SoSA arranges to transport these fruits and vegetables to food banks such as Harvesters.

A $100,000 HCF Healthy Lifestyles grant supported the opening of SoSA’s West Headquarters in the Kansas City area. This expansion of the Society’s current hunger-relief work is based at Harvesters and allows SoSA to tap into a new source of produce donations from the western region and dramatically increase the amount of fresh fruit and vegetables for distribution through Harvesters agencies. Read more.