Indianapolis, April 26, 2010 – The Wishard Foundation announced today it has received a $1 million grant from The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis for the purchase and licensing of the RelayHealth® Virtual Information Exchange (VIE) software service to better coordinate care for pediatric asthma patients. The gift is a one-time contribution made to mark The Health Foundation’s 25 years of commitment to the health of the Greater Indianapolis community.
“Since 1985, The Health Foundation has encouraged innovative solutions that address health disparities and improve the health of people in Greater Indianapolis, especially children in need,” said Betty Wilson, president & CEO of The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis. “I am pleased to announce that our board voted unanimously to mark our 25th Anniversary with a $1 million gift to the Wishard Foundation that will ultimately improve coordination of care and communication between the hospital, emergency department, Wishard clinics and in school-based health clinics.”
School-based health clinics have been a funding priority for The Health Foundation since 1989, when it first invested in the Harshman Clinic at Arsenal Technical High School. In the late 1990s, The Health Foundation funded the initial research and planning for school-based health services that has since evolved into Learning Well, Inc. Today, Learning Well operates 84 school-based health clinics in Marion County, providing healthcare at no cost to students, parents or schools. 
“Wishard’s Pediatric Asthma Program is already an innovative program that integrates disease management into the primary care practices of the healthcare system, including those provided at school-based health clinics,” said Wishard Health Services CEO Dr. Lisa Harris. “With the VIE software, disease managers will be able to develop treatment plans that can be shared among healthcare providers for each patient and provide real-time education at the time of urgent care visits. We are truly grateful for this tremendous investment in both our community’s health and in Wishard.”
Wishard’s Pediatric Asthma Program provides essential preventive and life-saving education and treatment for our community’s most vulnerable children and their families. The program has resulted in a significant reduction in emergency room visits for acute pediatric asthma exacerbations, fewer hospital admissions for pediatric asthma, and overall improved health of asthmatic patients. Construction of the new Wishard Hospital is expected to result in increased patient referrals to the Pediatric Asthma Program due to an increased patient base.
In addition to coordinating care, the software system will electronically deliver patient education materials to patients in the Pediatric Asthma Program, with easy-to-understand text, illustrations and animations. Eventually, Wishard anticipates using VIE for patient self-service activities such as appointment scheduling, prescription refills and electronic visits.
“As The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis knows from its experience with school-based health clinics, improved communication and care coordination is vital to effective chronic illness management,” said Matthew Gutwein, president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County.  “Not only has this gift from The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis ensured the improved effectiveness of Wishard’s Pediatric Asthma Program, it will improve the management of chronic illness across the broad spectrum of Wishard’s entire patient population. We deeply appreciate this generous and historic gift from The Health Foundation.”
About Wishard
For 150 years, Wishard Health Services has provided high quality, cost-effective healthcare to the citizens of Marion County. Wishard is accredited by The Joint Commission. Nationally recognized programs include a level I trauma center, regional burn center, comprehensive senior care program, women’s and children’s services, teen and adolescent care programs, Midtown Community Mental Health Center, and a network of primary care sites located throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis. Wishard Health Services is the public hospital division of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County and partners with the Indiana University School of Medicine whose physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty care services. The Wishard Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation founded in 1985 and designed to assist Wishard in the delivery of superior healthcare. The Foundation’s goals are to strengthen external relationships in the community benefiting the Wishard mission, aligning all fundraising efforts with the mission of Wishard and to promote awareness of Wishard programs and services.
About The Health Foundation
The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis was created in 1985 as the Metropolitan Health Council of Indianapolis with $12.5 million in proceeds from the sale of Indiana’s first Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), MetroHealth. An independent, not-for-profit grant maker, The Health Foundation has been and is still dedicated to preserve and enhancing the physical, mental and social health of the Greater Indianapolis community. Since 1986, The Health Foundation has contributed more than $32.7 million to health-related projects that are not easily funded by other means. From the beginning, its mission has been to support health-related causes, however, its funding priorities have changed as health concerns have evolved. Its current funding priorities are HIV/AIDS, school-based health and childhood obesity.
FACTS ABOUT ASTHMA
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting an estimated six million children.
Childhood asthma prevalence in the U.S. has nearly doubled within the past 20 years.
Nearly 2 million people, require treatment in the emergency room for asthma each year. 48% of these individuals are age 18 or younger.
The prevalence of asthma is as much as two to three times higher in low-income, minority neighborhoods compared to the general population.
Asthma is among the top 10 diagnoses billed across Wishard’s entire network of community health centers. It is among the top five diagnoses billed by the Wishard Pediatric Urgent Visit Center.
Researchers estimate that asthma accounts for a loss of 10 million school days among children and adolescents age 5 to 17 years, and costs caretakers $726.1 million due to work absences each year.