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DUBLIN, Ohio, Nov. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cardinal Health Foundation is currently accepting applications for grant funding to help U.S., Canadian and Puerto Rican hospitals, health systems, community health clinics and other non-profit health care institutions improve the efficiency and quality of patient care.

"We are encouraged by the impressive outcomes that previous grant recipients have made from the use of our E3 grants," said Dianne Radigan, vice president of Community Relations. "There have been major strides in medication and OR safety leading to lower readmission rates, significant cost savings and, most importantly, better patient outcomes. We're pleased to be able to provide this funding again this year."

Cardinal Health Foundation E3 Grant Program applicants are encouraged to submit funding requests for projects that will improve medication safety, particularly as patients move from hospital environments to home and other health care settings; to test an Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) protocol focused on reducing pressure ulcers in the operating room (OR); or to implement best practices in the care of babies born addicted to opiates.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to refer to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists for best practices for improving medication safety. Those interested in applying for grants to improve OR safety or neonatal abstinence syndrome should refer to the Cardinal Health Community Relations website for information on the OR project and the latest protocols on neonatal abstinence syndrome developed by Ohio Children's Hospitals.

Prospective grantees may also find summaries from successful E3 Grant Program proposals and a list of 2013 winners on the Cardinal Health Community Relations website. A case study highlighting the results of a grant-winning effort to improve OR safety through standardization of the surgical checklist is also available on the site.

Applications for E3 grants must be submitted on the Cardinal Health community website by Dec. 6, 2013.

In addition to receiving funding, grantees working on surgical protocols will have access to coaching support from members of AORN. Grantees working on medication safety projects will have access to coaching and support from hospital pharmacy experts from Cardinal Health Integrated Delivery Solutions, which each year helps hundreds of hospitals across the country implement best practices related to medication safety and other hospital pharmacy initiatives. Grantees working on neonatal abstinence syndrome will receive technical support from the Ohio Children's Hospitals.

Since its inception in 2008, the E3 Grant Program has awarded more than 200 grants, totaling $6.15 million, to healthcare institutions to advance the effectiveness, efficiency and excellence of healthcare. The program has generated millions of dollars in cost savings, with the most recent grantees focused on reducing medication errors reporting savings of more than $11 million.

About the Cardinal Health Foundation 
The Cardinal Health Foundation supports local, national and international programs that improve health care quality and build healthy communities. The Cardinal Health Foundation also offers grants to encourage employee service to the community and works through international agencies to donate much-needed medical supplies and funding to those who need them in times of disaster. To learn more, visit cardinalhealth.com/community.

SOURCE Cardinal Health Foundation