PORTLAND, Ore. — The Regence Foundation announced today it awarded nearly $150,000 to four nonprofits working to improve health care safety net services in Oregon. The grants all focus on improving coordination and continuity of care for people without health insurance.

“With more than 600,000 uninsured Oregonians, it is critical to support health care safety net services in our state,” said Michael Alexander, Regence Foundation board chair. “The Regence Foundation is committed to building healthier communities and making sure people have access to coordinated, quality health care close to home.”

Rinehart Clinic – Wheeler, OR
The Foundation awarded $58,900 to the Rinehart Clinic to implement electronic health records (EHRs). According to the clinic, the benefits of using an EHR system will include improving chronic disease management such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma; practicing more preventive instead of reactive medicine; decreasing prescription drug errors and interactions that result from hand-written prescriptions; and reducing the time it takes to access patient records and lab results.

The Rinehart Clinic is in a rural, medically underserved area. It is the sole provider of comprehensive primary care in north Tillamook County, and it sees patients regardless of their ability to pay. Moving to EHRs will enhance the clinic’s ability to serve its patients and will update its technology in line with the medical community.

Coalition of Community Health Clinics – Portland, OR
The Coalition of Community Health Clinics, a network of 13 nonprofit community health clinics located throughout Multnomah County, received a $44,200 grant to create a prescription drug “toolbox” for its member clinics. The toolbox will contain strategies to help reduce the cost of prescription drugs for the clinics and its patients, which is often a barrier to following through on treatment plans.

One of toolbox’s primary strategies for reducing drug costs is an “access schematic,” which will identify the most effective method for a clinic to access medications. Specifically, it pinpoints whether a patient’s medications should be acquired from the clinic; mail-order pharmacy; a four-dollar Target, Fred Meyer or Wal-Mart medication; medication voucher or prescription assistance program.

By creating a program that saves both time and resources for the clinics and improves health for the patients, the Coalition will improve the overall ability of participating clinics to see more patients.

United Way of Lane County – Springfield, OR
The Regence Foundation awarded $25,000 to United Way of Lane County to help the organization’s 100% Access program strengthen the county’s clinic safety net system. Lane County has the second highest rate of uninsured residents in Oregon, and 100% Access is working to improve the coordination of care for the uninsured and increase the resources and support available to safety net clinics.

Specifically, The Regence Foundation grant will help 100% Access create a data collection system for clinics to track and report patient demographics, insurance status, prescription support and services provided. Having a consistent data collection and reporting system will help illustrate the value of safety net services in Lane County and the extent of the area’s health care needs. In addition, the grant will help the clinics create a referral system to help more low-income patients access specialty care.

Medical Foundation of Marion & Polk Counties – Salem, OR
The Regence Foundation gave a $21,600 grant to the Medical Foundation of Marion and Polk Counties’ Project Access program, which helps connect uninsured people needing care with available local providers. Because there are few health care safety net clinics in the Salem area, a significant number of uninsured patients rely on free or reduced-fee care from local physicians.

Before Project Access, however, there was no systematic way to efficiently link people who need this care with available providers. Now, Project Access enrolls willing health care providers and uses its software program to identify the next provider in the rotation and schedule an appointment for participating patients.

“The Regence Foundation is committed to supporting the work of nonprofits tackling some of the root causes of our broken health care system,” said Monique Barton, Regence Foundation executive director. “These four grants all recognize and support transformative Oregon nonprofits improving the health care system through innovative methods.”