FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:    

MARGE SULLIVAN, PALM HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, 561-833-6333

MELANIE OTERO, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, x11

JENNIFER MARTINEZ, THE WATERS PELTON ORGANIZATION, 561-626-0026, x19

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Palm Healthcare Foundation, Quantum Foundation and The Florida Health Policy Center have announced the launch of Florida Health News, Inc. (www.FloridaHealthNews.org), a free online news service dedicated to better educating the public on state and local health policy and financial issues as they develop.  This independent, unbiased, non-profit service consolidates and organizes health news, information and research to offer consumers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, advocates and journalists one centralized resource regarding health issues affecting citizens in the state of Florida. 

Florida Health News is sponsored by members of the Florida Health Policy Center (FHPC), including Palm Healthcare Foundation and Quantum Foundation.   FHPC is a unique collaborative of Florida foundations dedicated to furthering access to neutral and objective health information.  Other members include: Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Florida Philanthropic Network, Health Foundation of South Florida, Jessie Ball duPont Fund and Winter Park Health Foundation. 

The Florida Health News website posts headlines and short summaries of health news, columns and editorials from the state’s media each business day; sends out daily e-mails via an automated free subscriber service with top health stories summarized and notice of relevant legislative hearings, conferences, etc.; identifies and highlights Florida angles in national health news stories; and posts studies that have a Florida connection from journals, universities, and think tanks. 

The members of FHPC envision that Florida Health News will become the “go-to” state and local health news source, particularly for policymakers, journalists and consumers to get and share information as policies are being developed.  “We realized there was a need for a comprehensive and objective news resource to inform various constituencies across the state about health news, policies and pending decisions in Tallahassee,” said Suzette W. Wexner, president of Palm Healthcare Foundation. “The site will vastly improve and increase the amount of information that is available about healthcare policies as they are being developed.  We believe the site will give citizens greater opportunity to be active participants in shaping healthcare policies that affect them, not bystanders who learn about decisions after they have already been made.”

Paul Gionfriddo, president of the Quantum Foundation, added that “decisions made in the state policy arena affect all that we do on behalf of citizens locally.  It is our hope that as information dissemination improves through projects such as this one, the responsiveness of local communities to local needs will improve as well.”

About the Florida Health Policy Center:

The Florida Health Policy Center mission is to improve access to information for state health policy makers through a dedicated commitment to neutral, objective analysis of health issues and the effective communication of that information.  For more information about FHPC, please visit www.FloridaHealthPolicyCenter.org.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation:

Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $14 million to over 70 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County operating over 130 programs that met its funding goals.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcare.org.

About Quantum Foundation:

The Quantum Foundation is a perpetual grantmaking organization, which was formed in 1995 and began making grants in 1997.  The mission of Quantum is to advance health, education, and community betterment in Palm Beach County.  Its areas of focus include access to healthcare, public health, healthcare workforce support and development, disease prevention and health promotion, and health education.  Since its inception, Quantum has awarded over 500 grants totaling over $60 million.  To learn more about the Quantum Foundation, please visit www.quantumfnd.org.