Our Grantees
New York State Health Foundation grantees reflect the geographic, economic, social, cultural, and ethnic diversity of the Empire State. From a community center in the Bronx addressing teen obesity to a free clinic for the uninsured in rural upstate Tompkins County and a mobile dental clinic for children on Long Island, NYSHealth grantees—all in their own, individual ways—are working to improve the state of New York’s health.
The tabs below comprise all of NYSHealth's grants, both those that are in progress and those that are complete. A grant's status is noted at the top of its description. For some completed grants, NYSHealth compiles grant outcomes reports. Please click here to view grant outcomes.
The existing system for medical liability litigation increases the cost of providing effective, quality health care in New York State and the nation. More than half of the dollars awarded to claimants are consumed by overhead costs, such as legal fees. An innovative, but little-known, model for addressing challenges with the existing medial malpractice litigation process has been developed by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). The Greater New York Hospital Association Foundation will convene a full-day conference to educate and train other large hospital systems in New York State on the HHC early settlement model.
Large geographic variations in health care spending are well documented, most famously using Medicare data analyzed by the Dartmouth Atlas. Research shows that higher spending and more treatment do not translate into higher quality care, presenting an opportunity to reduce costs without impairing health outcomes. In this project, the Maxwell School will analyze Medicare spending across and within New York’s 10 geographic hospital referral regions.
Established in 1989, the Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling, educational programs, and public policy initiatives. MRC offers direct assistance to low-income seniors through its Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Project. Phase 1 of this project resulted in the enrollment of 3,000 low-income seniors in Medicare Savings Programs (MSP). These seniors are enjoying approximately $10 million in savings in the first year, while the New York State government is saving approximately $3 million.
Although policy experts consider statewide expansion of the Family Health Plus (FHP) buy-in state-subsidized health insurance program a leading option to achieve universal coverage in New York State, key design and implementation issues have yet to be addressed. The Community Service Society (CSS) of New York will complete an analysis of FHP buy-in expansion by examining New York’s and other states’ programs, providing an actuarial analysis of premium setting, identifying solutions to implementation and eligibility challenges, and interviewing stakeholders.
New York State-designated “facilitated enrollers” currently navigate a complex, time-consuming, error-prone, and redundant paper-based system to enroll eligible individuals in public health insurance programs. This grant will allow Public Health Solutions (PHS) to establish a financially sustainable electronic application process resulting in a 40% increase in enrollment, and significant cost savings and efficiencies.
Despite recent changes in employer health coverage across the nation caused by the weakening economy, higher unemployment rates, and rising medical costs, private employer-sponsored health insurance has not been examined in New York State since 2003. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC), one of the nation’s preeminent survey research organizations, will conduct a comprehensive health benefits survey to provide new and updated information on changes in employer-based health insurance and benefits. This survey will leverage the national Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey, allowing comparisons of New York State to the nation as well as a comparison of trends over time within the State.
This grant will advance one of the main objectives of the NYSHealth Diabetes Campaign: to mobilize communities to spread programs that help prevent, identify, and manage diabetes in places where people live, work and worship. Specifically, this grant will work with faith-based organizations (FBOs) across New York. The Diabetes Campaign’s Faith-Based Initiative will target regions hardest hit by diabetes in New York State: the Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City, and Niagara County.
In November 2007, NYSHealth launched its Setting the Standard: Advancing Best Practices in Diabetes Management program (Setting the Standard) to identify and work with key organizations in spreading best practices for diabetes management. The Foundation made 12 grants totaling $3.4 million to organizations ranging from hospital systems to community-based organizations. In this project, Joslyn Levy & Associates will develop and conduct an evaluation to assess and document the outcomes and lessons learned of these 12 grants.
In 2007, there were 40,351 admissions to New York hospitals with a primary diagnosis of diabetes and 454,268 admissions when a secondary diagnosis is considered. As an additional partner of the NYSHealth Diabetes Campaign, the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) will work to improve outcomes for patients with diabetes among hospital-based outpatient clinics in the State.
The Buffalo Veterans Treatment Court (BVTC) has pioneered a collaborative program to keep veterans with minor, non-violent offenses out of jail, and requires a formal process evaluation to successfully replicate the program throughout New York State. This grant initiates the project’s first phase in which a formal process evaluation of the BVTC program will be conducted by an external evaluator. The second phase of the project will use the evaluation results to develop a training curriculum for local court systems interested in establishing their own veterans treatment courts.
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are at high risk of suffering from a multitude of health, mental health, and social issues that affect the quality of their lives and their ability to successfully reintegrate into their communities. The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) has commissioned the RAND Corporation, an international nonprofit research institution, to conduct the first comprehensive needs assessment of the health, mental health, and social service needs of returning veterans and their families in New York State.
Founded in 2004, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization focused on education and advocacy for returning veterans and their families. This project will undertake several key, State-level activities including convening and educating a statewide community of returning veterans around specific critical issues using both in-person and online outreach strategies.
NYSHealth recognized that many of its grantees could benefit from technical assistance with the evaluation aspects of their projects in addition to the direct grant support for their projects. Under the Phase 1 grant, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) provided direct, one-on-one assistance to grantees; held upstate and downstate workshops for grantees; and offered one-on-one follow-up assistance to workshop participants. Due to the success of the Phase 1 grant, NYSHealth is continuing this technical assistance for newer grantees and applicants in 2010.
Due to a duplication of services, New York’s Capital region hospital providers are forced to acquire redundant and expensive technologies to be competitive. With a growing elderly population and increasing demand for health services, lasting and significant efficiencies are needed in the local organization of health care delivery. Recently, Northeast Health entered into formal agreements with two other major providers—St. Peter’s Health care services and Seton Health—to pursue a merger. NYSHealth funding will support activities associated with the merger. A merged organization will provide more efficient and cost-effective services to meet community needs.
New York State estimates that one out of every 10 New Yorkers aged 12 or older suffer from substance use disorders annually, with less than 15% receiving treatment. The societal burdens of untreated substance use disorders include increased health care costs, crime, and child welfare problems; and reduced educational attainment among New Yorkers. The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) will develop model screening and brief intervention (SBI) programs for alcohol and other drug problems that can be used in emergency departments in New York State.
