UHF: St. Cecilia Receives New Grant Funding from GlaxoSmithKline

EXCELth, Inc., Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans and United Health Foundation announced today that the Daughters of Charity Health Center at St. Cecilia has received a $133,500 commitment from GlaxoSmithKline to support the expansion of community outreach efforts to help prevent and manage diabetes. At the same time, the United Health Foundation announced that the clinic is meeting or exceeding national benchmarks for quality and clinical care.

Results of the study conducted by George Washington University Medical Center reveal that the health center's percentage of diabetic patients who had controlled blood sugar levels was nearly twice the national average and screening for heart disease was 94 percent, compared to the national average of 81 percent, among patients with diabetes. Louisiana has the highest death rate due to diabetes compared with all other states, according to the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recent study also indicated that the Daughters of Charity Community Health Clinic has shown considerable improvement in the delivery of quality care since becoming a United Health Foundation Community Health Center of Excellence. Other clinical measures for prenatal care, asthma management, cervical cancer screening, HIV screening and tobacco screening and counseling have improved since the Foundation awarded the clinic $3 million in 2006.

GlaxoSmithKline's unrestricted $133,500 grant will support an innovative diabetes outreach program that will raise levels of awareness about diabetes and its complications, identify undiagnosed diabetics, and provide patient education, medication management, and link patients to diabetes management services at the clinic. GSK has a long history of support for innovative health care initiatives.

Chris Viehbacher, president, US Pharmaceuticals, GSK said, "We know that community health centers are vital resources in our healthcare system because they reach people who are often at a greater risk for developing chronic diseases, yet who often do not have access to regular healthcare services. The data for Louisiana highlights the urgency to support expanded access to quality and comprehensive diabetes services in communities such as Bywater. Prevention and better management should be top priorities in combating these conditions," he continued. "We are proud to provide this funding and are confident that it will make a meaningful difference in the health of this community."

Reed Tuckson, MD, a director of the United Health Foundation board, executive vice president and chief of medical affairs for UnitedHealth Group and a member of the recently concluded Louisiana Health Care Reform Panel said, "The George Washington University study results documenting the quality of care delivered by the dedicated staff at Daughters of Charity Health Center at St. Cecilia have confirmed the wisdom of our continuing multimillion dollar commitment. All of us at the United Health Foundation appreciate the leadership and social responsibility demonstrated by Chris Viebacher and GlaxoSmithKline."

The Daughters of Charity Community Health Center - St. Cecilia is a fully equipped clinic housed within a renovated former church and rectory at 4201 North Rampart Street, New Orleans, on the grounds of the Shirley Landry Benson PACE Center, a project of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. The health center is one of four community-based Centers of Excellence supported by United Health Foundation in conjunction with local community and academic partnerships. The goal of each of these centers is to provide immediate and sustained access to the best possible health care for people in communities with significant and often unique health care needs.

Michael Andry, CEO of EXCELth, Inc. said, "The results and success of the Daughters of Charity Health Center at St. Cecilia point to the dedication and perseverance of the clinic staff in very difficult situations. They have embraced the Center of Excellence structural and philosophical change to improve health care in our challenging post-Katrina environment. They have not only succeeded at St. Cecilia, but have also extended the Center of Excellence model to other sites.

"Our progress reflects the partnership's commitment to documenting patients' improving health status and delivering the best care possible," added Andry. "The health center at St. Cecilia has created a new standard for clinical care excellence in New Orleans with high quality preventive and primary care services, right here in the heart of the Bywater community. Our aim is to replicate its success in more New Orleans neighborhoods in order to improve the overall quality of life."

United Health Foundation
United Health Foundation supports activities that expand access to quality health care services for those in challenging circumstances and provides reliable information to support health and medical decisions that lead to better health outcomes and healthier communities.

The Foundation's Community Health Centers of Excellence initiative emphasizes preventive care, coordination of care and the use of nationally recognized standards of treatment, tailored to the unique needs of each community in collaboration with local care providers. In addition to the Daughters of Charity Health Center - St. Cecilia, the Foundation partners with three other community clinics: New York City-based Children's Health Fund to support children and families in the Bronx; Unity Health Care, Inc., to support the Congress Heights/Anacostia area of Washington, D.C.; and to the Jefferson Reaves, Sr. Health Center to provide care to the Overtown community in Miami, Florida.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit organization solely funded by UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH). For further information, please visit www.unitedhealthfoundation.org.

GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better, and live longer.

As a global company, GSK strives to be part of healthcare solutions, not only through medicines and vaccines, but through public health programs and work with communities. GSK community partnerships offer more than a helping hand--they help transform the lives and prospects of people all over the world.

EXCELth, Inc.
EXCELth Inc. is a community-based organization addressing health care needs that increases primary care capacity and quality of care, particularly for the underserved.